Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
by StrangeTales117
Summary: As winter in Equestria approaches, the outlaw James Alistair finds himself hard-pressed to find the last shards of a dangerous metal. As the arm of the law closes in, it becomes apparent that a new plot is being set off by the destructive forces from before, only this time, a new angle will be taken that will have the fate of the kingdom hanging in the balance.
1. Prologue

The moon was particularly big tonight.

The hills reflected the light of the starry sky, casting long, solid shadows and turning the mid-autumn grass into a thin, milky blue sheet, glistening and perfect. With one exception, however; the tracks in the still-soft earth leading upwards into the rocky pass ahead. Kneeling down, the grey equine creature inspected the odd-shaped, treaded track and then turned to the congregation of steel-armored horse-warriors.

"These tracks are fresh," he concluded, his breath misting on the cold air. "Ten, maybe twenty minutes old."

"It's an ambush," one of the soldiers grumbled.

"Oh, I'm counting on it," his superior replied, stepping to the front of the group to stand beside him. "Three weeks of nonstop tracking would give plenty of time to prepare. It won't matter; we're close now."

The pass loomed overhead, spires of slick black rock stretching into the speckled skies. Somewhere up there…

" _He…_ is close."

The company knew the drill. Split up into two squads of five; one team goes through the pass as bait, to draw his eye. The second scatters and takes to the air, giving coverage from the sky and making certain that the slightest movement in the harsh shadows of the jagged boulders did not go unnoticed. A few would stay behind in order to keep him from sneaking past them out the way they came in. All was eerily quiet in the pass, however, no movement, no sounds. Quiet as the grave.

The tracks led the team straight through the pass, almost right through to the other side, until a sharp bend in the tracks turned upwards into the rocky outcroppings. From there, they led to bare stone and stopped. After a quick meet up with the rest of the company, it was decided that they would go up together, staying in a tight-knit formation and keeping their eyes open for any sign of him. Muddy footprints and a discarded apple core by a protruding rock made a trail to follow, and follow they did, up to a cave that had been sealed with a sizeable boulder.

Examining the boulder, the unit's commander trotted up and took a moment to size up the entrance. "Hey, Stormhammer?" he called back to the unicorn behind him.

Stormhammer made his way through the group and stood at attention. He was huge, even for a horse, and a heavy riding cloak had been draped over his massive shoulders.

"Perhaps you could move this obstacle?" the commander asked him.

Stormhammer nodded. "Stand back."

The unit did as the unicorn asked, getting into position at either side of the makeshift door. Stormhammer concentrated, funneling his mental ability into an orb of destructive force, and then lobbed it at the boulder, which exploded with an ear-shattering _crack._ Through the dust cloud the force breached, but found that there was little to fan out into.

The small den had been crudely furnished, in the loosest form of the word. At the corner of the 'room' was a large pile of loose straw with a heavy linen sheet covering it to serve as a bed. A grouping of large stones had been stacked together to form a bench and table, upon which were a few loose nails, scraps of wood and metal, gnawed bones from the creature's last meal, a mallet, and an oil lamp, which had been knocked off the table and lay smashed on the ground. Wood planks, a wagon wheel, a barrel, and a plumed Equestrian Guard helmet were placed against the wall nearby. A piece of cork-board and an empty quiver had been tacked to the walls with what looked like railroad spikes; scorch marks and flecks of burnt parchment indicated that the cork-board and whatever was posted on it had been burned away. Most intriguingly, a part of the floor had been boarded up, and one of the boards had been torn up, leaving a hole from which a dim light emanated.

"Search the area," the commander ordered. "If there's anything of use, I want it found and brought to me. Start with that hole in the floor. And… keep your eyes open, all of you."

The team split up, most of them moving outside to look for any sign of the creature. Meanwhile, a few stayed behind to search the premises. Very little was found; there was a dagger fashioned from a spear-tip hidden in the straw of the bed, and a book about Equestrian history had been stuffed under the blanket. He'd cleaned up well, it seemed. Finally, their attention was turned to the light from the pit below. Cautiously, the group gathered around the floorboards and, in one quick motion, ripped them up. Beneath them was another barrel, this time connected by some kind of wire to the melted candle that was giving off light.

The commander realized what the powder-keg was too late; the dying candle's flame suddenly lit the fuse, which quickly traced its way to the barrel.

"OUT!" was all he could manage before the group scattered. The group just barely got out of the den's opening when the trap exploded with a thunderous boom and the rumble of collapsing rock on the hastily-built shelter. A cascade of dust blasted out of the rubble as it crumbled, flowing down into the valley. Amidst the coughing and sputtering and calls from those nearby for a headcount, the commander shakily got back up to his hooves.

" _Stupid,"_ he growled. "I should've known."

Slowly, the hunting-party regrouped and spread out, but found no other evidence. The moon had begun to slip down to the horizon, which meant they'd have to set up camp soon. Frustrated, the soldiers began to pitch tents; they'd return empty-hoofed once again.

And from afar, in the trees of the edge of the forest surrounding the pass, their quarry watched as his shelter was destroyed properly.

Then he tightened the sheath on the sword he had recovered from that place, turned on his boot-heel, and strode off quietly into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 1

_The night's cold and dark, but I can't stop yet._

 _It's not safe for me here. It stopped being safe for me anywhere a long time ago. Since the Incident, my predicament has only gotten worse; every day, they get closer to finding me, my work, or worst of all, the things of great importance that I'm charged with guarding._

 _The Guard's growing bolder. Or, rather, the company charged with my capture is growing bolder. They've raised the bounty on my head again; 10 grand in bits to anyone with the slightest clue on where I am or what I'm up to. It seems I've_ really _miffed someone off, and while I can't be sure who exactly, I've got enough rough ideas to guess._

 _Things are changing out there. The citizens are calling me 'Enemy to All', which I guess is pretty accurate, all things considered. I've been around, looking for the remaining shards, keeping my head low to duck the Spears and any other third party that happens to be interested in that reward. It gets harder every day, I'm finding that this world has no shortage of opponents, not all of them interested in ethics. Or innocents, for that matter. I've been hearing news, too; something about a coronation happening recently. That doesn't sit well with me. It means a good many things; namely, that there's another god-like being in play that I have to look out for. I'd hoped that some good news would come from it, like maybe Little Miss Sunshine finally decided to bite it after god-knows-how-long, but unfortunately that wasn't the case._

 _My six-month circuit is almost at an end. In a few days, I'll be back where I started, so long ago. The Everfree Forest. Home sweet Home. I'm hoping that I'll be able to enter town as well; the last time I was here… didn't go all too well. All the more reason not to be seen, I suppose. I'm running low on supplies (note to self; pick up matches, bread and herbs) and there's a place I've been meaning to visit that I was unfortunately unable to the last time I was here._

 _I just hope she's at home when I get there. Wouldn't want to startle her again like that one time._

* * *

With long, wide strides, he trudged across the wet ground, the drier leaves cracking under his worn, heavy boots. For once, the Everfree didn't look so threatening; the fact that there wasn't anything trying to kill him at the current time helped.

The forest glade he was currently passing through wasn't very well lit, what with the early morning cloud-cover blocking out the sun, but nevertheless, it was a beautiful sight that he always found comforting. The shedding trees, with their silvery trunks, carpeted the emerald ground with leaves in brilliant hues of brown, red, orange and yellow, the tell-tale colors of autumn. A mist had settled into the forest, gliding over the dew-spackled plants which gave the appearance of a stained glass scene.

He shook his head clear. The bliss he could find in this world made him feel poetic, it seemed. Stopping for a moment, he reached down into the satchel he wore slung down at his side and pulled out a metal flask that he used to carry water. Taking a hefty draught, he continued on his path. He'd have to get more soon, but he could handle that later on, when he was back in the forest. This morning, just after getting up, he had secured his small shelter in the Everfree's darker parts, making sure that the sword and shards he had reclaimed from his last halfway-house were still where he had hidden them. He was confident they wouldn't be found there; the Everfree hosted a good natural defence system that was more than enough to scare off even the most hardened snoop.

Still, the fact that they were so close made him edgy. He was getting sloppier. Normally, he'd be fast enough to clean up shop and be long gone by the time they arrived. Sometimes, he was even able to get what he needed and go and they wouldn't even notice he was there. Now, they were just minutes away from cornering him.

It was Thundershield. The Equestrian Guard commander seemed almost desperate to find him. He'd hired someone recently; a sort of bounty hunter or ranger that made hiding particularly difficult this time around. This newcomer was good, admittedly, but it was for that very reason that the noose was getting tighter on his throat every day.

Once again, he removed the thoughts from his head. He was here to get supplies, hopefully without being spotted. More importantly, he was here to visit friends. He wasn't about to dampen his spirits by worrying about what had happened; that part would be joyously welcomed _afterward._

Cresting the muddy slope, his feet sucking down into the mud only to be stubbornly pulled free, James Alistair reached the edge of the Everfree and looked down on the small town of Ponyville. In spite of the grey sky stretching limitlessly above, the city looked just as bright and chipper as ever, which James could honestly care less about, but whatever. From his vantage point, James could see out from the towns nearest buildings all the way to the outskirts on the other side. Cottages dotted the outer rim, becoming denser as the urban area coalesced. He could see the multitude of buildings he had marked down in his journal for posterity; the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres and the sprawling marketplace where he often 'shopped' for food; the Carousel Boutique, which he had marked specifically to avoid (he had a habit of forgetting what exactly it was and winding up there to horrible consequences); and the small cottage that was his destination.

A few things about Ponyville were different than the last few times James was there, however. For one, an old building that stirred particular feelings in him was gone now, wiped off the face of the planet as though it had never existed. A new building had been erected at the fringe of the town; a great crystalline formation, like a tree, in which was nestled a grand citadel. James's curiosity was piqued, but he felt that going over there was a bad decision right now. Finally, a small, rectangular building had been constructed close to the train station; an Equestrian Guard barracks, built for the purpose of defending the town in case James ever decided to turn up here.

James frowned. A bit had changed, but in the end, he concluded that change was reasonable after such a period and struck out for his friend's home, certain she'd tell him about all that had transpired while he was away.

After all, six months wasn't much for traveling, but nearly four years was long time to be out of the loop.


	3. Chapter 2

The whistling of the kettle alerted Lyra, letting her know that her tea had finished.

Rising from her seat, the mint-colored unicorn pony trotted over to the kitchen and, on reflex, stretched out her mind. A field of energy flickered around the kettle as it was lifted telekinetically from the stove, steaming as its whistling noise dimmed to a stop. Gently, she set the kettle down and peeked through the curtains, more out of habit than out of anticipation. She was getting better at guessing James's schedule. It was roughly time for his next visit.

In the back of her head, Lyra doubted that James would show up. He didn't last time. She just assumed that he was busy; off somewhere in Equestria, looking for those shards he often talked about. Still, every time he didn't show up, it worried her. The worry often passed when nothing came up in the news, but still…

A gentle knock at her back door nearly made Lyra jump. She didn't see James sneak up through her backyard; he had been getting steadily better at moving around unseen and, coincidentally, she was getting harder to startle. Taking only a moment to pour herself a cup of tea, Lyra went to the door to greet her friend.

* * *

One of the first things that Lyra noticed about James was how much he had changed since they had last met.

First of all was how tall he had gotten. Sure, Lyra herself had grown quite a bit, but James's head was an inch from the ceiling when he stood upright. His face, which might have looked handsome once, had a sizeable scar arcing from his right eye across his nose, and it was clear he needed a shave. His hair had grown into a wild, shoulder-length mess, and in general he looked filthy and unkempt. Aside from that, he hadn't changed much; his clothing was still the same beat-up jacket and thick pants, although he had patched up some holes in the fabric and he wore a heavy scrap of cloth which he had fashioned into a hooded poncho of some sort to keep warm in the cold winter months.

For about a minute, the two of them greeted one another and sat in silence drinking tea. Eventually, Lyra decided to start up a conversation.

"…So," she asked, "How have things been? It's been so long, I haven't seen you in almost a year."

James grinned. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he replied. "I've been up to stuff lately. There were… difficulties, but I've managed to get past them. What have you been up to lately? How's Bon Bon, is she doing okay?"

Lyra nodded. "Same old things, probably not as dangerous as what you put up with daily. Bon Bon's okay, too; she had to go get groceries, so she couldn't show up unfortunately."

"Oh, sorry to hear that," James said. "Well, tell her I said hi, at least."

"Will do. You're out of tea there, Jim, would you like more?"

"No thanks. But, uh, do you have any apples?" James asked this because he typically steered clear from the Apple Family Farms in lieu of past experiences, and as such he only ever came across them in the wild, few and far between.

"Sure," Lyra told him, "They're in the cupboard over there, help yourself."

As James got up to grab an apple, Lyra decided to talk about what had been going on with him recently. "So, how's the treasure-hunting thing going?"

James leaned against the counter and took a chomp from a sizeable red apple. "You mean looking for the metal shards? It's a slow process; very dangerous, lots of close calls. But, that hasn't stopped me before."

"Close calls? Like, the kind of close calls that almost kill you?"

"Like the kind of close calls that almost get you arrested and imprisoned, but yes, those too. I've counted three times, at least, that the Equestrian Royal Guard has gotten within a hair's breadth of getting me."

Lyra paused, eying James curiously. "And… those close calls were about…?"

It took a moment for James to process that Lyra wanted to hear what he had been up to lately in detail. "So, you're looking for stories, yeah?" he asked her. "You sure you want to hear about it? It's not all sunshine and rainbows, you know."

Lyra seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding eagerly. "I think I can deal with that."

"Okay then," James replied. "But you gotta make me a deal, okay? I tell you what my recent shenanigans were about, and you have to tell me what's been going on in Equestria for the past… let's say three years? I've been away for way too long, and I'd like to know everything."

Lyra agreed.

The rest of the day, the two of them played catch-up, drinking tea and talking. Lyra informed James of the major events, cutting out most of the less interesting or impactful stuff. She told him about the wedding between the Alicorn Princess Cadence and the former Captain of the Equestrian Guard, Prince Shining Armor, and the attempted invasion by the Changelings which was quashed before it even began. She told him about the return and subsequent reformation of Discord, an otherworldly creature that could warp reality, by Fluttershy, which James listened to with interest and a surprising amount of concern. So the stories went on; the Breezies and their migration, the battle between Twilight and the destructive Lord Tirek, the discovery of a village ruled by a pony with misguided dreams of equality, and the close call with Yakyakistan.

In return, James told Lyra about his travels. He started off by telling Lyra about the recovery of a metal-shard from Horseshoe Bay, where the Equestrian Guard had been constructing a prison to hold survivors from the Incident, and how he hijacked a merchant ship from Saddle Arabia and escaped. He told her about the time he had to sneak into Griffonstone and search for a rumored metal-shard there, and how he failed to reclaim the shard in Canterlot and ended up walking away with a broken, useless telescope. As for the Yakyakistan red alert, James had known about that as well; he had to cross the Yakyakistani border for a metal-shard that landed there too. And then there were the multitude of encounters and run-ins with the law (and a few people _not_ under the law), which James skimmed over. These stories took up the entire day uninterrupted by anyone save for Bon Bon, who showed up at noon after all, until finally the sky began to darken once more and James felt that it was time to leave.

Rising from his seat, James downed the last of his tea and stretched. "You have no idea how great it is getting off my feet for once in a while and just… talking to someone, you know?"

Lyra smiled. "I'm happy to have you as a friend, Jim."

"We both are," Bon Bon added.

However, as James prepared to leave, the two of them stopped him. "Are you sure you can't stay longer?" Bon Bon asked him.

"I'd love to," James replied, sliding on his jacket, "But you know the rules. As much as I hate to say it, I've already overstayed my welcome. The longer I stay here, the more crowded it gets, the riskier it is to get out of dodge, especially since the clouds cleared up this afternoon and gave way to broad daylight."

Lyra paused. "Are you _sure_ you want to leave now?" she suddenly asked, a sly grin on her face. "Because, it just so turns out that there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. And, you know, when there's a meteor shower, people around here tend to gather outside under the sky and watch _very closely_ for anything that might _turn up…"_

James stopped, turned and stared at her for a moment. Then he shook his head, grinning. "Extortionist," he scoffed jokingly. "Alright, okay, two more hours. Then I'm over the hills and far away. Deal?"

Bon Bon and Lyra exchanged looks. "Deal," they agreed.

* * *

Luck was with them that night, as it turned out that the sky was clear for once in weeks of cold, cloudy autumn evenings. With Luna's moon hanging above, the stars glinted down on the world and gave a good view to the people below. Because of the impending meteor shower, the town had mostly gone dark to provide a better way to see everything. The night air was cool, but nobody seemed to mind much. Lyra and Bon Bon found a nice spot to sit on the back porch of Lyra's home; James, on the other hand, crouched in a shadowed corner nearby.

Around eight o' clock it began. The sight of the Equestrian night sky never ceased to amaze James, who often looked up to it when he was alone. It was clear, relatively free from the pollution of industry or civilization. Glittering stars carved a path though the sky, the tendril clouds of an ancient galaxy that had been around since before the planet was cosmic dust. Like a great pearl amongst and ocean of shining jewels sat the moon, radiant and full. Alone, it was enough of a sight to behold, but with the shower of comets streaking across the sky, creating a pattern of blazing lights in the heavens that burned brightly then went away forever. It was beautiful, in an unsettling, almost apocalyptic way.

When the meteor shower began to dwindle, everypony had gone inside but the trio, who stayed back in the cricket-broken silence under the light of fireflies from the Everfree nearby to say their farewells. It had been a good day, a nice rest for James's weary feet and a once-in-a-blue-moon chance to see a long-absent friend for Lyra and Bon Bon. With the last goodbye said, Bon Bon struck out for home and Lyra walked James to the edge of the forest, where the human stopped and turned back to overlook the town one more time. His gaze was fixated on the crystalline tree-palace in the distance.

"So what I heard was true," he sighed. "The rumors of a coronation were correct; Twilight Sparkle is a princess now."

Lyra was taken aback by the comment. The only thing she could think of to say was, "Yes, Princess Twilight Sparkle. That happened a while ago, it was such common knowledge I thought you'd know it by now." Lyra studied the concern in her friend's face. "Jim… what's wrong?"

James shifted his gaze to her. "So much has changed recently, Lyra. I can't say I like it that much. Look," he said, gesturing to the barracks near the train station, "They've put up military installations, not just here, either. They built a prison in Horseshoe Bay. The Equestrian Guard's numbers have never been higher. And now… what with Twilight being a princess… and an Alicorn—"

"Jim, you really don't think that all this is because of _you_ , do you?"

"Of course not," James answered. "To say that all of this is my doing is extremely arrogant. It's just that, well, Twilight doesn't like me that much. In fact, I doubt _anyone_ besides you and Bon Bon like me that much. I've got a list of enemies as long as my arm, and, well… I don't like the idea of another adversary gaining this much power."

Lyra stared right in James's eyes. "I want you to listen to me right now, Jim," she told him. "Twilight is _not_ your adversary… or your enemy, for that matter. She's Princess of Friendship; whether you like it or not, because _we're_ friends, that technically puts you under her domain."

"Domain," James replied darkly, "Is much different than control."

"Did I say she controlled you? I never said she controls you! I—" Lyra suddenly noticed something, a reddening and sunken look in James's eyes. "Have… have you been getting enough sleep?" she asked warily.

James suddenly couldn't look her in the eye. "I'm fine," he insisted. "I need to go."

As he turned to trudge back into the forest, Lyra called after him. "Jim, wait."

James turned around and decided to listen to her.

"Look, I understand that what you're doing isn't the most honest line of work," she said. "I understand that it's dangerous for you, and I understand that it's caused a lot of distrust and rumors to be spread around. But… can't you just… maybe stop for a while? It doesn't have to be forever; just for a few weeks, so you can at least rest properly."

James shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Lyra, you know I can't do that. Every day I'm not out there brings who-knows-what closer to finding those pieces of metal, and if even one of those shards falls into the wrong hands—"

"Then someone will make certain it's retrieved, so that no harm can come of it," Lyra interrupted. "You're not the only one who thinks those shards are dangerous, and despite your own opinion, Celestia's not the villain here. Besides…" Lyra paused, thinking of what to say. "It's been almost four years," she reminded him finally. "Don't you think that, if it was going to happen again, it would've happened by now?"

James looked around, as though trying to find a way to escape the question. He sighed. "I can't stop," he told her. "I can't explain it either, I just… feel like I _have_ to reclaim all of them. I'm…" he trailed off.

"…How many shards have you found?" Lyra asked him.

"Five, for now," James said. "Five out of an estimated thirteen. The Equestrians have three, and one's at the bottom of the ocean, so that leaves four unaccounted for."

Lyra regarded him. Finally, she gave him a melancholy grin. "Okay, Jim. Do whatever you feel is right. But, please, be safe. And at least consider taking a vacation." She grinned wider. "You can't be everywhere you know."

It took a moment for James to smile back. "Alright. I'll consider it. Stay out there, Lyra."

"Stay out there, Jim."

With that, Lyra turned and started back towards her home, and James stalked into the Everfree towards his hideaway in the firefly-lit darkness. Indeed, it had been a good day.

* * *

Peace and quiet had settled over Equestria, the populace asleep in their beds as the night ran its course. Only the large cities, like Manehattan or Phillydelphia, were still bustling through the darkness, as those cities were so large and so densely populated that they never really slept. And, after the meteor shower had ended and all seemed to have stopped, no more eyes were cast upward to watch as the earth seemed to stand still in time.

And then, when all seemed at harmony at the latest hour of night, one last comet came hurtling from the cold dark. But this one was different from the others. It appeared from a flash in the atmosphere, a bright white halo of light pulsing outward like a stone skipping across a stream. Downward it plunged, beautiful and illuminating, streaking through the air straight towards the tallest mountain in the kingdom; the towering spire-mountain upon which was the Equestrian capital city, seat of power for the twin Princesses of the sun and moon. Canterlot.

The comet seemed to careen down to the mountain city, where its speed should have caused it to collide and explode on the slopes. Instead, it fizzled out right at the summit of the mountain and all was quiet again. Yet the phenomenon was not yet done. Another comet blasted from the heavens, this time speeding to the far north, where it once again disappeared over the frozen countryside.

This event was interesting, unique in that it had happened long after the meteor shower from before had ended. And yet, for something so spectacular it lasted only a moment, and no-one was around to see it transpire. Which was ironic and unfortunate, really.

Because if someone _had_ seen it, Equestria could have avoided the great calamity that was to follow swiftly on its heels.


	4. Chapter 3

_I understand that Lyra means well for me._

 _I really do._

 _Still, I can't just take her advice. Maybe a few years back, I could've disappeared; there weren't enough people who knew about me or forces to pursue me. Hell, if I managed to get away from the Incident without anyone seeing me, they'd think I didn't survive. I'd be free to operate with impunity—or hijack a boat and set sail to some humid, sunny island in the middle of the ocean, nice neutral territory beyond the grip of Equestria._

 _And guess what? That was almost a reality. When I woke up on that forsaken mountain, or rather what was left of its summit, there were no witnesses. The only other person to possibly have watched me go had been killed, ironically enough, since he was also the only person who would be able to clear my name. If he was still alive, the manhunt for me wouldn't just be over; I'd likely be_ pardoned. _Off the hook. A free man. Too late for that now. An Equestrian Sergeant, now a Captain, named Thundershield can be thanked for that._

 _Thundershield might not be my most powerful opponent, but he is by far the most persistent. He's the one leading the force that's been after me for four years running. Damned if he's going to let me get away; he's single-handedly managed to make sure the world new who I was and raised a specialized company specifically to bring me down. On one hand, I'm flattered, since there's a group of people concerned all about me. On the other hand, when once I could've gotten away clean with only a few people aware I existed, now I can't go anywhere without posters showing my likeness being patched up to bulletin boards and bus stations._

 _So, in summary, a vacation is out of the question, at least for now. It's getting to be midday again, and if I go now, I should be at the edge of the Everfree and on my way to Dodge City by nightfall._

 _I'm back on the move._

* * *

The mist was particularly thick in the city that day, mostly because of the heavy rains wafting up from below the chilly mountain. It was clear that winter was not only coming fast but it was going to be cold this year, seeing as people were already bundling up to go outside. And yet, the waterfall outside the city, plunging down a thousand feet or so to the plains at the bottom where it carved out a mighty river that ran until it met up with the South Luna Ocean, still ran with the same ferocity as any other day.

Such was the morning in Canterlot, capital city of Equestria and the location of the Royal Palace, seat of power to the twin Princesses of the Sun and Moon. And, in particular, one of those Princesses was meeting with a subordinate and subject of hers; a member of her Royal Guard.

Celestia, once the sole ruler of the entire land long before the birth of Twilight Sparkle and during the imprisonment of Nightmare Moon, had been expecting the Captain for a good long while now. Thundershield always returned to speak to her personally, despite having the free reign to decide not to if needed. Perhaps it was because he felt it prudent to hear her advice on things, perhaps it was because he wanted at least a day's break from the tireless pursuit of his quarry. Still, she hoped that one day he'd be able to succeed in his goal; he deserved to move on from this errand to more pressing matters.

Of course, Thundershield never saw it as an errand. And he was arguably right, seeing as his opponent was a devious and unpredictable one who quite possibly threatened the kingdom so long as he was free.

"…As always, my apologies, Princess," the guard-colt was concluding his mission debrief, "but James Alistair has, once again, managed to evade us with no relevant evidence left behind."

"That's quite alright," Celestia reassured him. "And, if you please, I would prefer you don't speak so formally. 'Celestia' will do."

Thundershield nodded. "Of course, Celestia."

Thoughtfully, the Princess lifted her morning tea to her mouth and drank it before her brain could wire the message into magic. "You say in your reports that James has… destroyed any settlements you've discovered before you can reach them?" she knew that this was fact, but her query was meant to clarify rather than learn.

"Yes, ma'am," Thundershield confirmed. "The sergeants in my company and I have come to an agreement; we have reason to believe that Alistair is scorching earth to conceal something from us."

"Something regarding the Incident?"

"That's just the point. We don't know for certain, which is the primary reason why I came back here."

Celestia frowned. She never really liked talking about James. To be completely honest, she never really liked James in general. She'd hoped that she would see and hear the last of him four years ago after the Incident. Not that she'd wanted him to die—she could never wish death upon a living creature, no matter how evil or destructive they were—but rather, she hoped that the anomaly that sent him here would have at least taken him back to his home. Unfortunately, that was not the case. He was running loose now, and she felt it her responsibility to bring him in.

She realized that Thundershield was waiting patiently for an answer, and sighed.

"In truth, Captain Thundershield," Celestia began, "I'm afraid I have no idea what James is hiding. It's likely related to the Incident, or some personal information that he doesn't want made knowledge to us; perhaps he keeps a map of all his shelters in these structures, and he burns them to avoid us finding the rest. For all we know, it could simply be an act of sheer paranoia. The both of us know enough about him to know that he isn't exactly the most trusting type."

"Or the most foolish," Thundershield agreed. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. "Celestia, if I may ask…"

"You may."

"There's been… rumors, going around. Just word-of-mouth thus far, but it's ominous nonetheless. I was wondering, aside from the Spellbane Shards… could there be anything else Alistair would possibly want to keep secret?"

"I am… unsure of what you're asking," Celestia replied, and she was honest.

"Forgive me. What I mean," Thundershield reiterated, "was, could Alistair be hiding more than just the shards? Like, for example… an artefact?"

The Princess's expression darkened. She didn't like the way this conversation was going. Thundershield had twice now made reference to the so-called 'Spellbane Shards'—fragments of some alien metal that were pivotal in the past invasion by the eldritch entity that desired to consume Equestria and its powerful lieutenant. Lustreless and jet-black in appearance, the jagged bits of metal had foreboding properties—namely, they were completely immune to magic, the lifeblood of this reality that practically held their universe together. It was bad enough now that James was collecting them, for a purpose not even Celestia could guess, but now Thundershield was insinuating that James was in possession of a relic that could very well be made of the same metal. And if that was true…

"Princess?"

Thundershield's interruption pulled her out of her thoughts. "James is crafty," she told him, "so I ask only that you exercise caution, Thundershield. Unfortunately, I can't help you on the subject of artefacts; we can only hope that Alistair isn't in possession of something that could provide a danger to everyone around him."

"You believe Alistair would use this against us?"

"A part of me believes that if James even had something close to what we're thinking of," Celestia replied, "we would know about it by now."

Thundershield scowled. "What course of action should we take against him?"

The alicorn regarded him. It was a point of personal pride for herself knowing that she could enter the mind of someone gently enough to not stir their consciousness and look at their thoughts with impunity (though she'd never do this without good reason). Still, Celestia didn't have to do that to know what Thundershield wanted her to tell him.

' _Alistair is too dangerous to be running around unchecked with the potential to bring down the most powerful magic users in the world. If you find him, execute him on sight.'_

Was he right this time?

Celestia closed her eyes. Equestria was a land of equality, not a fear-mongering police state, and she intended to keep it that way. There had to be order to things, or the lawlessness would only lead to destruction of everything her people had strived to create. She wanted James detained, arrested and brought back here to stand trial for his crimes, alive. More importantly, Celestia desired to speak to him personally; she deeply wanted one chance, just one last chance, to at least understand why James chose the path that he did.

And yet, he was still classified as an enemy of the state. He was among the most dangerous public enemies in Equestria, a remarkable feat considering the competition he had in that department. Could someone that creative and devious truly be allowed to continue evading them?

Celestia opened her eyes again.

"I have considered your position on this matter more than once," she told Thundershield. "Admittedly, I have only ever found it this hard to make a decision about it twice before. My orders are thus; stay the course, only use lethal force upon James Alistair if he makes it completely necessary. If he is cornered, I want him brought before me personally for questioning. If he has any sort of relic, I want it found and brought to me as well, and I would advise you handle it with caution. When the information regarding the whereabouts of his hideouts is extracted, you are to search them all for anything else of threat or use to us, and appropriate them. Then he is to stand trial for his actions and be sentenced according to the severity of his crimes when he is judged guilty."

Thundershield and Celestia shared a look for a moment, and the guard-captain looked as though he wanted to argue. Eventually, he let out a short cough and nodded.

"As you say, so shall it be."

* * *

As Thundershield's meeting with the Princess concluded, he couldn't help but think about the mistake Celestia was making in letting a maniac like James Alistair live. She knew just as well as he did that James was a danger to everyone. He was a terrorist, responsible for damages in property in multiple places both in and outside of the kingdom, he was a foal-napper, and he was a thief.

But most importantly, he was a killer.

It wasn't just Night Iron, either. Thundershield's commander and mentor was only the first casualty he'd claimed. He was responsible for the death of a Yakyakistani prisoner during his escape across the northern border. He personally ended the lives of two of his own men during separate incursions, as well as the life of Talon, a griffon bounty-hunter who decided to go after him for the monumental reward for his capture. Even when he didn't kill, James had no qualms about sending countless opponents to the infirmary with broken bones and missing teeth. And further still, people whispered he'd done something worse— _much_ worse. Something that automatically earned him the gallows in Thundershield's books.

And yet, if Thundershield brought Alistair to Celestia, he knew that wouldn't be the verdict. She'd opt for a sentence of life imprisonment or hard labour, thinking that living the rest of his existence in a cell or a mining pit would be torture enough for him. She was wrong; it would only give him time to plan an escape. No, better to deal with him and move on. Still, would he really decide to—

A voice interrupted Thundershield's thoughts. "Didn't go well, I assume? You only get that look when you've been denied."

The thick mist concealed both of their forms, and a good thing too; Thundershield wasn't supposed to be talking to the pony in question, let alone working with him. The colt was around his age, with a dark grey coat and a cutie mark of a leafy branch, denoting his talent as a tracker. A heavy green cloak had been draped around him, its hood concealing the unicorn horn sprouting from his forehead. Thundershield remembered the colt's name well; Gladeshine. A rare example of an Equestrian mercenary.

And Thundershield officially never hired him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Don't you understand that if somepony sees us together—"

"Relax," Gladeshine cut him off. "I wouldn't risk losing a steady source of income just for any meeting."

Thundershield snorted. The jab about income was meant for him—he had agreed to pay Gladeshine from his own wages until Alistair was caught, at which point he'd give him a share of the reward.

"Speak," he commanded.

"Ollie's brought back news," Gladeshine explained, referring to his pet falcon, who often scouted ahead to look for anything of use to them. Despite the fact that the bird couldn't speak, he'd often glean information from him, likely via some kind of telepathic link. "James Alistair's been spotted moving through the Everfree Forest. He'll be reaching Dodge City by tomorrow morning."

Thundershield grinned. This was wonderful news! Dodge City was an area surrounded by foothills and plains; with no cover to duck into, they could trap him in the town and their hunt would be ended earlier than Thundershield expected.

"I'm sorry I doubted your purpose in coming here for one second, Gladeshine," Thundershield apologized. "You are truly an asset to our country. Now, let's go before someone notices us; we've got a fugitive to catch!"

* * *

He opened his eyes.

Above him was a light, bright and blinding. It blotted out his vision, made it difficult to see anything else. His body ached, mainly his back and right arm, and his head spun. For the life of him, he couldn't remember a single thought from before this moment.

He shifted his body, realizing that the reason his arm ached so much was because it was twisted behind his back, though it wasn't broken or fractured. Still, the pain, while dulling and fading away, was still too much and the youth lay still for another moment as it lessened. The blinding light receded from view as the familiar blot of a cloud passed overhead, leaving a blue-green splotch in his vision from the burn in his retinas. It dawned on him that he had been staring at the sun; he couldn't remember the last time he had seen the sun.

Then again, he didn't remember anything.

He lifted his head. Around him were rocks and frost-bitten grass. Patches of snow had cropped up here and there; otherwise there was nothing to be seen. Every now and then, a tiny flake would float down in his peripheral vision, drifting down to join the rest. Above him, the sky was turning a light grey from the cloud cover.

The pain had melted away completely, and he rose to his feet. What struck him first was how cold it was; the freezing air seemed to scrape against him. He found himself taking deeper breaths than he normally would; the air was thin, a tell-tale sign that he was high up someplace. He looked down at himself, taking note of his clothing. He was wearing attire inappropriate for where he was; a white linen shirt, short-sleeved, thick wool breeches, and a pair of leather shoes. Exactly _how_ he got where he was, or _where he was in the first place,_ was unknown to him. Still, he decided that staying here to freeze was not optimal.

His first steps were somewhat unsteady. He found himself teetering once or twice as a dizzy, groggy feeling tried to overcome him. It felt almost like a high; not in the way eating the wrong plant would make a person loopy, but more like being put under before pulling a tooth.

' _Altitude sickness, maybe?'_ He wondered. _'How long have I been up here?'_

Slowly but surely, however, the feeling left him. Eventually, he could move normally and his pace quickened as he searched for a path downward. The rocks blocked his vision, but it was a small area he was in and he strode to the edge of a cliff to see what he could see.

The sight he saw was indeed as amazing as it was confusing.

For starters, he was most definitely on a mountaintop; all around him, extending for miles to the horizon, was a thick blanket of clouds… beneath him. Here and there, a spire of rock would poke out from the cover, or a patch of green forest or hills would be revealed to him for just a few precious seconds before slipping back under the clouds. He stepped closer to the edge in order to see what was below him, and saw a wide, mist-covered cliff, with a strange belt of brown over the green, too unnatural to be made by coincidence. It could only be one thing: a road.

' _I have to get down there,'_ he thought. _'But there's no paths leading down from here, and I have no idea what's waiting for me.'_ After much careful consideration, he made his decision.

" _I'll have to climb down."_


	5. Chapter 4

So far, so good.

Climbing was _not_ something that came natural to him, it seemed. Every other step downward towards the road below was a terrifying slip that found him tensing up and clinging to the rocks for dear life. Admittedly, he wasn't exactly sure if the fall would _kill_ him or merely _injure_ him, but he wasn't about to test that theory and find out. So, ever so slowly, he made his way down, making certain he held tight to the moist cliff face and kept his footing nice and strong.

He was about four metres away from the ground when he fell. A stone which he had mistakenly thought was sturdy enough to hold his weight broke away from beneath him, and with one hand looking for another handhold he couldn't hang on. He slipped, his cry of alarm and panic echoing out on the wind, and landed hard on the grass below.

Once again he was splayed out across the ground, this time on his side. He shifted in an attempt to get up, only for hot, stinging pain to throb through his arm and shoulder. It took almost all of his will not to cry out again; he must have broken his arm when he hit the ground. Lying there only long enough for the pain to subside, he braved another jolt to heave himself onto his back, then he got back on his feet, his arm hanging at his side. Just his luck.

Now that he was on the cliffside road, he was uncertain which way to go. It had to lead somewhere, but the mist made it difficult to see anything beyond the next several yards. He decided to go upward and hope that the road led somewhere other than a scenic view. No matter; even if it did go nowhere, at least there was a path he could follow that would most certainly lead to civilization. After all, _someone_ had to have made this road.

That someone, he would find, would be much, _much_ different than he had expected.

* * *

Eventually, his path led him to a gate of some sort. There was a faint roaring sound in the distance. A waterfall? He felt it was the most likely conclusion. The wall ahead was shrouded in mist, and its massive, heavy wooden gates had been closed and barred. There was something off-putting about the wall, but still he felt it beckoning to him, making him want to get closer.

So he did.

Perhaps it was lucky that it was foggy today, because he didn't like the idea of walking up to a locked fortress to get a closer look. When he was at the base of the wall and judged that no-one inside could see him, he gazed upwards, examining the gateway and wall closely.

The wall's bricks were a shiny grey colour. But there was something different about the walls that caught his attention. There was a point, near where the gates were, that the wall became even brighter, a lighter, almost white shade. Like the bricks placed down were more… recent. The wooden gates looked that way too, fresher than he had expected. Parts of the wall had been cracked, or chipped. There were faint scorch-marks on the stone; of the two banners hanging from the walls, each depicting twin winged unicorns encircling a sun and moon, one seemed a bit charred at the edges.

A battle had taken place here. Thoughts stirred in his mind, dreamlike visions…

Then they swirled into nothingness again. From above, he heard the faint screech of a falcon.

Turning around, he noticed a sign behind him, some kind of billboard. From afar, he couldn't make out the details, but moving quickly away from the wall he could easily tell what the sign said, though it didn't make sense. The sign said, in bold bright lettering;

 **WELCOME TO CANTERLOT**

Canterlot. Canterlot. The name sounded familiar, but why would a city be named after a _pun?_ 'Cantering' was a word for a horse's tread… perhaps that had something to do with it. Still, it seemed silly to name a—

Suddenly, a loud groaning echoed into the fog-riddled sky. He whirled around to see the massive wooden gates being slowly and unsubtly pushed open. Before anyone could notice him, he ducked around the sign and hid, not even daring to breathe. There was the tell-tale drumbeat of galloping hooves, and sure enough, a group of horses eventually passed by as he slipped back around and peered across his hiding spot to observe them.

What he saw was enough to make him _incredibly_ interested and somewhat disturbed.

For starters, they weren't exactly horses—they were ponies. Juveniles, or so he thought. The whole group of them were downy white in colour, each clad in golden armour with blue, Mohawk-like crests. Spears had been tied to their sides but there were no riders—no cavalry. A lone figure strode out to the head of the group; this one was grey, with a green riding blanket around its shoulders. And then something happened that only added to his confusion and startled him more.

The lead horse spoke.

"Our target is one we already know much about, which means our objective will have to be approached with as much stealth and speed as possible," the green-cloaked one explained. "Your orders are simple; you get in, you do _exactly_ as Thundershield and I tell you. Then we capture our quarry and haul flank back here."

A second horse, clad in armour of grey iron, strode up to join the cloaked one. "And it is imperative that there is no contact between us and the fugitive until we have him _cornered or surrounded._ Under no other circumstances are you to engage; if he even _sees_ any of you, he's gone. Clear?"

"Clear!" the hunting group replied.

Again, from above came the screech of a falcon. He looked up from his hiding place to see the bird circling faintly in the mist. Something stirred in his mind, and suddenly he was hiding behind the sign, afraid that the creatures might see or notice him. This was probably the most bizarre and honestly silly thing to happen in his entire life regardless of his amnesia; by rights, he felt like he should be laughing at the sheer implausibility of this scenario, but there was a tug in the back of his head that told him this was not the time to laugh. The thunderous sound of racing hooves picked up once again, then slowly faded away. A final, distant screech from the falcon above cried out and died away on the breeze, and when he looked out, he was alone again.

Looking at the wall again, he noticed that the gates had remained wide open. The fog had gotten thicker as well, almost as if to conceal him from the horse-creatures. There was still a crazy urge in the back of his mind to go through the gates and see what was behind them, but his common sense told him that was a bad idea. There were probably people watching those gates, after all; if he tried going through them, he'd most surely be caught. Still… would being caught really be that bad? Perhaps he should go through. He could find help…

Everything was going so quickly, and there was this feeling that he wasn't really in control of anything. Suddenly, he was moving as fast as he could while still remaining quiet towards the massive city gates, and when he reached them, he peeked around a corner to see if there was anyone who could see him. He saw only more horses; no humans, no one else of his own kind. The fog was still thick, and if he moved quickly, he could find a way to a less populated place before anyone saw him. The one question he had was extremely obvious to ask.

 _What was this place?_

* * *

Things went well for about an hour. No one saw him, and no one heard him as he clumsily made his way to… somewhere, he wasn't exactly sure where. The fog was slowly giving way to a fine mist, and the petrichor stink of approaching rain hung in the air. Hopefully he could find shelter before the rain came.

As his luck would have it, for better or for worse, he found exactly the shelter he was looking for.

Moving through 'Canterlot' was an interesting ordeal; the area was clearly a place of regal splendour, with vibrant pastel colours dominating the boring white walls. It was easy to pick out government buildings from businesses, which interestingly enough seemed to lean more towards small, little-man shops as opposed to chains or industries. In fact, for such a seemingly well-off city it was actually quite small. Or perhaps he was sticking too close to the backstreets.

His mistake was deciding to get a closer look. Admittedly, the nature of this place filled him with curiosity as much as it did aversion and confusion; he felt the uncontrollable need to learn more. Creeping towards a stone wall at the edge of a tiny alleyway he found a small chink through which he could peek through. He put his eye up to the hole and stared out, noting the new activity on the street beyond. As though the earlier encounter weren't enough to confirm this, but he was _not_ on any world of his own; the horses not only looked out-of-place, they acted and spoke like human beings. Rarely were any of them what he thought were natural colours for a horse; the majority of them were vibrant shades, various blues, purples, yellows and oranges, some red or light green. There were a few that looked more like normal horses, but just as many sprouted wings from their backs or a stubby horn from their foreheads.

There was a nagging instinct in the back of his mind telling him to back up and keep an eye on the road he came from, but the bizarre scene he was looking upon fascinated him. Eventually, he decided that the instinct was right, and he turned around…

…And found himself staring in the eyes of a pony.

A lump formed in his throat as the two of them stared each other down. The creature was as bulky as a draft horse, downy white with huge blue eyes and a pair of fluffy wings. He had a slack-jawed, wide eyed, deer-in-headlights expression, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing (he supposed he couldn't exactly blame him), but what really made him frightened was that it was the same kind of pony he'd seen on his way into the city; golden armour, blue-crested helmet, and a spear held (somehow) in his right hoof.

Slowly, he raised his hands to either side of his head, spreading his fingers so they could be seen clearly. If he was going to get this cleared up, he'd have to act sensible and as non-hostile as possible.

"Hi," he greeted the guard.

For just another moment, the guard stared at him. Then he skittered in place before gathering his bearings and breaking down the road.

' _Great.'_

* * *

Before long, Canterlot was alerted to the intrusion as tolling bells sounded a city-wide alarm. Members of the Equestrian Royal Guard were placed on high alert, and any available guard was looking for the fugitive. From the palace grounds, Celestia watched the streets stretching out beyond. The fog had lifted entirely, only for grey clouds to settle overhead, signalling a coming rain. Citizens still went about their business in most parts of the city but for where he was spotted, which had been closed down for the safety of the people. There were a lot of thoughts in Celestia's head then, but one was extremely prominent.

This was, by far, James Alistair's stupidest decision in a long while.

The guardspony that had spotted the intruder had given a clear description; there couldn't possibly be two just like him, not here. And yet, it didn't make sense. Why would James come here of all places, after all this time, especially considering the security that had been set in place to deter him? He'd be risking it all just going to a village in the country; it wasn't like him to just sneak into the capital city without any sort of plan. What was he up to?

Ten minutes passed with no sign of James anywhere. The guards were still on high alert, but eventually the alarms stopped and the citizens that were herded into their homes by the threat were allowed to continue about their day. By then, it had begun to drizzle. The sound of approaching hooves brought her attention back to reality as a guardspony strode up behind her back.

"Thundershield and his party are on their way back as you had requested, Princess," he informed her.

"Thank you," Celestia replied. "Is there any word on Alistair's movements?"

"None thus far. We believe he's either hiding in the city or has fallen back."

"Keep looking. He can't have gone far."

With that, the guard saluted her and turned back the way he came. Celestia turned back towards the window and looked again at the city beyond. She was absolutely confident that James was still close by; no possible way he could have escaped the city, not while it was on lockdown. After all, there was only one route out, right into the path of Thundershield's hunting party, and pulling the same stunt that he did the _last_ time he was here wouldn't work twice. They had him. Celestia was sure of it.

…So why did she feel so uneasy?

* * *

The alarms had stopped ten minutes ago. There were no voices, no sounds from the outside that could signify a presence anywhere nearby. Only the gentle patter of rainwater broke the silence, creating a white noise that would have been calming were the circumstances not so frightening. There was every reason to get out of here, find a way out of this backwards town and run for the hills.

And yet, here he was. Cowering in a dumpster.

The filth, stench and darkness did nothing to help his nerves. Why were they after him? He remembered greeting someone, and then all of a sudden the streets had been evacuated, spear-toting goons were swarming all over the place, and bells rang out and drowned out all other noise. He recalled running for his life until he found this trash bin, at which point he dove inside. Something skittered over his leg and squeaked. He had to get out of here.

Gently lifting the lid of his hiding spot just enough to peek out, he surveyed his surroundings. When he was content that no-one was around, he slipped out of the dumpster and made his way down the backstreets, hopefully towards the city gates. However, after a moment of wandering it seemed as though he had lost his way; in the midst of his blind flight, he had forgotten what direction he had come from and where the gate was. For a moment, he considered getting up on top of one of the nearby buildings to orient himself, but that would have only made it easier for him to be spotted, so he decided against it.

Eventually, he just picked a direction and went that way, moving as quickly and quietly as he could manage. Going by the backstreets and keeping away from anyone else, he finally found his way into some sort of garden. Hedges roughly half his height fenced off pristine lawns and flower gardens planted in various designs. It was quite beautiful, honestly, but he knew he couldn't stick around to admire any of it. Higher hedge walls blocked off his view of the surrounding area, which meant that he couldn't see where he was going. Again, the urge to risk getting spotted by going up high to get a vantage point tugged at the back of his head; he ignored it, pressing onwards toward the edge of the garden space. Passing by odd marble statues, birdbaths and fountains on his way, eventually he was only a few yards from his goal…

…When suddenly, he tripped.

As soon as he was on the ground, the grass began to grow wildly around his hands and feet, tying him down to the dirt. No matter how much he struggled and pulled, his weedy binds only grew tougher and tighter against his wrists and ankles. Soon, it felt painful thrashing against the grip, and he could do nothing but lie still and wait for whatever punishment he had coming for him for doing absolutely nothing at all.

* * *

The hunting party sent out after James Alistair was expecting a fight, one way or another. Alistair wasn't the type of person to give up; he'd gambled with his life before just to get away from the people pursuing him. They had expected he'd be in Dodge City, waiting for them.

What they didn't expect, however, was a message being sent from Canterlot telling them to turn around immediately, saying that Alistair had been spotted in the city itself.

"Impossible," Gladshine had insisted. "Ollie saw him headed for Dodge City. There's no way he could get from there to here, not even by divine intervention."

Thundershield wasn't convinced either, but direct orders from the Princess were direct orders from the Princess. And so the party begrudgingly raced back into the city and dispersed to search for him. Why Alistair was even here in the first place was something they'd have to get out of him themselves; something didn't fit in this course of action. Perhaps after all those years alone in the wilderness, James had finally gone mad? Thundershield wasn't so sure.

Things only got more bizarre from there. First of all, spotting Alistair had been _easy;_ it was never, _ever_ easy to spot Alistair unless he _wanted_ somepony to see him. So, when one of the guards under Thundershield's command found him crawling out of a trash dumpster, they were ordered to follow close behind and wait for the order to strike when the rest of his comrades had him surrounded. Then, the human moved into the gardens surrounding the Royal Palace. That gave them a clue to Alistair's plan; he must have been here to sneak into the Palace and steal back the Spellbane Shard that was in Equestrian hooves. The search for those shards seemed to consume him, making him reckless.

But it was never _this_ bad.

Perhaps the most surprising thing happened at the very end of his path. Seemingly wandering with no aim, the hunting party tracked Alistair to the edge of the gardens and surrounded him while his back was turned. They struck then, and what happened shocked them.

 _Everything went according to plan._ Gladeshine used his magic to bind the hapless James and drag him down into the dirt.

Now they had him, struggling against grass, after four years of relentless tracking, chasing and fighting. So Thundershield was in two frames of mind; he was extremely glad that he'd finally caught the worst threat to Equestria currently, but a part of him was resentful of such an anticlimax, and wary that there was a plan behind this idiotic move. When it came to this man, there was _always_ some sort of plan behind it.

Thundershield decided to hide his thoughts from the others there. Instead, he strode up to the downed Alistair, lying still face-down on the turf, and nudged him with his hoof.

"Now why," he asked, "why, why _why…_ would you think that doing _this,_ coming _here,_ would be a good idea, Alistair? After all these years, all of the traps you've gotten out of… I expected more out of you." With that, he lowered the tip of his spear to the back of James's neck.

There was a tug in the very back of Thundershield's head then. Alistair was a threat, a dangerous threat to every single one of the citizens here or anywhere. He had done the gesture as a warning to Alistair not to move, but suddenly, there was a thought in the darkest recesses of his mind. It was only ever pulled to the forefront of his thoughts when they were out in the field, far away from any other witnesses. The ponies gathered around him were loyal, _very_ loyal to him… he wouldn't dare do it here unless he was absolutely sure he'd have an alibi… still, Alistair was too dangerous to just be thrown away. Perhaps his threat should be ended, once and for all. Yes. Perhaps…

"Stand down, Thundershield."

The guard captain suddenly looked up, and his spear tip followed suit as he saw who had commanded him. Celestia had given the order, and he and his squadron backed off. For a brief moment, panic gripped him as his eyes darted around, but Gladeshine was gone; the ranger must have seen the Princess coming before the rest of them and vanished before he could be seen.

"Yes, Princess," he relented, backing up as the grass binding the human gave way. James made no attempt to move. Was he intimidated, or was this part of another gamble?

Thundershield would soon find out that it would be neither. In fact, it would be something even _worse._

* * *

Celestia looked down upon the human lying at her hooves, his face hidden in the grass. Curious; he'd never made it this easy to capture him before. What was he up to?

"Get up, James," she told him. "Whatever game you're playing coming here, it is over."

Celestia would have been lying if she said the response she got didn't surprise her.

"Please," a muffled voice pleaded. "I don't want any trouble. I don't even know how I got here!"

For a moment, she thought she had misheard. It was extremely out of character for James to beg; he'd have to hit his head very hard to make so many mistakes, let alone beg for anything.

Unless…

No. The possibility of that happening was impossible. It could never be capable of happening again; like it or not, it was the actions of James Alistair himself that made sure of that. No, there was only one conceivable person this could be. He had gone crazy, or he'd given up; this was James Alistair.

"Get up," Celestia said, a command this time. "Now."

Shakily, the creature got to his feet, his arms raised in a gesture of surrender. There were no scars on his face or body, and seeing him standing like this Celestia could admit that he was thinner. Even his clothes were different; too clean and new for a man that had been living in the woods for years.

Celestia didn't show it, but fear welled up in her stomach. Her jaw clenched, and her eyes widened ever so slightly. There was no way that this could be true, but it was, and it meant that Equestria was in for a huge catastrophe.

The man she was looking at was _not_ James Alistair.

There was another human in Equestria.


	6. Chapter 5

"I've told you twice now, I have no idea who I am or how I ended up here," the human standing before Celestia insisted. "Please, I haven't done anything wrong, just let me go!"

Celestia was still in shock somewhat from the revelation that there was another human found in Equestria, which could only mean one thing; the malevolent force from what seemed like ages ago was once again able to terrorize this realm. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as before, but that made no difference here and now. The human (who was thus far nameless) had been taken inside the Royal Palace shortly after the incident outside, and now stood in the throne room before her, flanked on all sides by the Princess's personal guard as well as Thundershield's hunting party. Not for nothing of course, but Celestia admittedly didn't trust humans that much; still, she was going to try to give this unknown man the benefit of the doubt, as it seemed he was genuinely lost and confused.

"You're certain you don't remember anything? Anything at all?" she asked him.

The human fidgeted in his handcuffs. "I swear on my life, I can't even remember my name."

"There must be something," Celestia pressed. "Please, think harder."

The human screwed his eyes shut, as though straining to recall any scrap of information. "…Falling," he finally said. "I remember falling."

"Falling," Celestia repeated. "Surely you know where you woke up, right?"

"Yes, up on this mountain. Near the summit."

"So… how did you get down here? And more importantly, why?"

The human proceeded to explain just that to her. Apparently, he had climbed down the mountainside to find civilization and help, but ended up tripping an alarm when he snuck into the city. His reasoning was sound enough; he was afraid and didn't want to start a panic. Celestia regarded him carefully, studying every small feature of his face to see if there was any hint of a lie in his words. Then she sighed, shifted out of her throne and trotted up to the youth despite the protests of the guards surrounding the both of them. When it came down to it, the guards honestly didn't even have to be here; there was nothing the human could do to harm her.

More importantly, it didn't seem like he _wanted_ to hurt her.

* * *

The horse standing before him blinked curiously. She was quite beautiful for a horse; she stood taller and wider at the shoulders than the guards surrounding the both of them, and the white wings folded against her back would have been at least twelve feet wide tip-to-tip if she extended them fully outward. She was easily their leader, impossible to hide in a crowd, as she wore golden regalia and a tiara marking her status as some kind of royalty. Perhaps the most interesting thing about her was her mane; it was a flowing mass of hair that billowed in the wind without even needing a wind to billow in, and it shifted through bright shades of blue and pink. For a moment the two of them stood staring at one another.

And then she leveled the long horn protruding from her forehead at the shackles on his wrist. For a brief moment, a field of bright yellow energy engulfed the irons, and then they unhooked and fell to the floor with a heavy clatter. Immediately more protests came from the guards, but the Queen Horse silenced them with a look. Her gaze once again fell upon him.

"I believe you," she told him finally.

"So… so I'm not being imprisoned?" he asked her sheepishly.

"No, you're not. In fact, I think that I can help you find your way home."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he instead remained silent.

"My name is Celestia," the horse told him. "You're standing in the Royal Palace of the city of Canterlot, capital of Equestria. You don't have to be afraid of me or anyone else here." As if to reassure him, she gave him a friendly grin.

Just then, a thought flowed through his mind. It wasn't anything substantial, but it was something he thought was important.

It was a name. _Colin._

Looking at Celestia, he shifted his gaze around the room. The guards were at ease, but many of them did not look entirely pleased to know that there was a human in their realm. When he looked back to Celestia, she was still staring expectantly at him.

"My name is Colin," was all he replied with.

* * *

"I admit that you're not exactly a fragile bird," Thundershield muttered, "but still, I _strongly_ advise against this."

The human, Colin, had been moved to a spare room to rest, and the other guards had been cleared, leaving Celestia and the guard captain alone together. His concern was not unjustified, in fact Celestia felt the same way he did; the appearance of another human was a foreboding development indeed. Still, Celestia felt… differently about this one. The only other human in Equestria, James, was every bit a criminal at heart. A thief, a gambler, and a conman, profane, violent, paranoid and defiant to a fault; it wasn't much of stretch to believe that if Celestia announced prohibition in Equestria, Alistair would start smuggling alcohol into the country just to spite her. But this new human…

"As much as I understand your position and your reasoning, Thundershield," Celestia replied, "This human, Colin, does not seem to be what we think he is. Besides," she added, "I want to keep him close. If he is a threat, I want to make sure we can deal with him before he becomes another problem; I'll not have two James Alistairs running around making even more of a mess everywhere they walk."

"And heaven forbid the two of them ever _meet,"_ Thundershield stated grimly.

The thought of that happening made Celestia edgy. Alistair was enough of a situation on his own, she'd rather not have Colin fall in with him if she could help it. "Speaking of which," she asked him, "shouldn't you and your squadron be out after Alistair?"

"Forget capturing him in Dodge City now." Thundershield shook his head. "Alistair covers his tracks well; he's most definitely in the wind by this point, and by the time we reach his last known location he'll be miles away. I've dispatched… _scouts_ to look for him," he said, choosing his words carefully. Truthfully he had sent Gladeshine and his falcon out to scope ahead, so he wasn't _exactly_ lying to her. "We're hoping that he'll be traveling across the plains where there's no cover to conceal him, but I'm not confident in those odds. As for the rest of us, we're going to wait out the night here and head out to try to find a lead tomorrow."

"Good. I'm sorry for throwing a wrench in your plans, Thundershield," Celestia apologized.

The guard captain only shrugged. "Even you couldn't have possibly known."

The conversation carried on for a few more minutes, before Thundershield was dismissed and turned to leave. However, just before reaching the door to the throne room, he turned and asked Celestia one more question.

"Just out of curiosity," he asked, "what exactly do you plan to do with this… Colin fellow?"

Celestia thought for a moment before replying. "He's not leaving Canterlot, that's for certain," she told Thundershield, "unless it's to a safer place. I intend to do what I told him I'd do; help him find a way back to his world. Until that time, he remains under the watchful eyes of me or anypony I can trust. He's staying here."

"…Very well," Thundershield conceded before turning to leave. This time, Celestia stopped him.

"And Thundershield?" she called out.

"Yes?"

"Under no circumstances," she commanded him, "no circumstances whatsoever, is James Alistair to _ever_ learn about Colin's existence."

On that note, Thundershield left to convene with his squadron, and Celestia went to visit her guest.

* * *

Colin could not get over how strange this world was.

For horses, the Equestrians certainly lived a lot like human beings. He was most definitely glad of it, after all a soft bed was much more comfortable than a pile of straw, but it never ceased to bewilder him. The room he had been led to was spacious, with a large desk set against the opposite wall that had a mirror, and an empty wardrobe and drawers next to the door. It was raining outside now, the clouds a dull grey sheet across the sky, and the water tapped lightly on the window nearby. Desiring to get a closer look, Colin wandered over to it and opened it with a gentle creak.

He was greeted with the pleasant smell of rain and a decidedly less pleasant vertigo-inducing view of the mountainside, a sheer drop of at least a thousand feet to the forest floor below. The windowsill looked old, and peeking around he saw a tapestry hanging down to his left. Then a tiny detail caught his attention; there was a scuff mark on the sill, a dark patch on the pristine white stonework. It was most likely nothing, but it made Colin feel nervous, mostly because it reminded him of shoe polish…

"Hello?"

Colin jumped, unprepared for the sudden greeting, and almost fell out of the window to his death; in his interest in the mark he had leaned out over the windowsill like an idiot. However, an invisible hand tugged at his shirt and pulled him back into the room.

"Woah! _That_ could've been disastrous," his visitor said. "Try to be more careful, please?"

Colin turned to see Celestia standing at the doorway to his room. "You had the door open," she said. "I should've knocked, my apologies."

"Um, hi," Colin replied. "Sorry, I just… I wanted to see outside."

"That's quite alright," Celestia said. "Listen, are you hungry, Colin? Is there anything I can get for you?"

Colin shifted on his feet. Celestia's sudden niceness to him made him uncomfortable. "I was actually going to rest for a while," he told her, rubbing his shoulder. "I fell while climbing down and landed on my arm; I thought it was broken, but it seems fine now."

"Okay," Celestia replied. "Are you sure you don't want someone to look at it and make sure it's not damaged?"

Colin nodded. "It's fine," he insisted.

"Alright then. I'd just like to set a few things straight, okay?"

"Sure."

Celestia stepped into the room. "You're my guest here, Colin, so if there's anything you need, food, water, an extra blanket or pillow, just find me and let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'd like you to stay here for now—at this Palace, I mean, not necessarily in this room—though if you come across a locked door or a place where you feel you shouldn't be, don't go any further. I'll let the people that work here know that you're a guest as well, but I'd prefer you talk to me first before going to anyone else unless it's an emergency. I'll have someone bring around dinner this evening to your room, and tomorrow I'll show you around properly and we'll see if there's anything I can do to help your predicament. But until then, rest."

Colin regarded her. She was obviously trying to make him feel at home, to ease his doubts and discomfort, but it felt strange being told these things by a winged unicorn. Still, it was better than being tossed into a dungeon and fed scraps for the rest of his life.

"Alright," he said, "I'll be waiting right here."

With that, Celestia nodded, said she had work to do and that if Colin needed anything he'd find her in her study not far from his room. Then she left, closing the door quietly behind her. Once she was gone, Colin closed the window, removed his shoes, crawled into the bed and passed out.

Perhaps this was just some strange dream, and with luck he'd wake up with a full memory back home.

* * *

Celestia did indeed have work to do.

There was a plan behind Colin's arrival, of that much she was certain. When Alistair was sent here, it was to try and weaken Equestria's leadership and distract them from the real problem; this sort of planning almost led to the destruction of their world. Celestia was ready to accept that Colin was the distraction just as before; the enemy that tried to defeat them before was keeping her busy trying to figure out his purpose while it mustered some kind of force elsewhere. Whether this was true or not remained to be seen, but at the very least she now had the advantage of being able to plan something before whatever plan the enemy had could come to a head.

When Alistair appeared, there was no warning, no explanation. He just… popped up somewhere in the wilderness, wandered into Ponyville and got caught stealing apples from the Apple Family farm. Things only got worse from there, with no substantial evidence to another threat until it was too late. Alistair was a legitimate threat to society, making it convincing enough to assume he was the only threat. What's more, this otherworldly force had powers, namely the ability to warp and poison the minds of its victims with anger and apprehension. It was so potent as to turn even Celestia for a while; she recalled she had almost vaporized some poor soul before coming to her senses.

' _Never again,'_ she thought to herself. _'You are defeated. Your power is diminished and your means to bring yourself here is scattered across the land. You won't ever threaten my home anymore.'_

Celestia took a short nap halfway through the afternoon after a few long hours of combing the records, and yet she suffered no ill effects; no voices came to taunt her in her sleep as they did before, and she didn't feel exhausted or suffered any headaches, notable symptoms of the mind games this enemy played on her and a few other notable people. Either by lack of power or tactical reasons, the force behind this was remaining silent. That gave Celestia a glimmer of hope; perhaps the enemy was still incapable of regaining its full power. Still, she felt that if Colin could be sent here, there was still enough power enough within this opponent to pose a threat. When Celestia awoke, it was time for dinner. One of the guards had been around Colin's room not too long ago and had given him food as well.

Celestia sighed. Four years was enough of a stretch to go without hearing anything about humans or otherworldly monsters; she guessed she was lucky for that. At the very least she had time to prepare for whatever her opponent was planning this time.

* * *

 _Today was a good day._

 _Moving from the Everfree to Dodge City was short, constant and uninterrupted. Up until I heard the screeching above. The falcon. He's been following me, trailing me for the last six times I've moved. I know it belongs to Thundershield or one of his subordinates; normally I stay under the tree canopy to keep him from getting a bead on me, but there's no cover out here except hills, which won't help hide me from aerial reconnaissance. It flew back towards the direction of Canterlot after about ten minutes, returning to its owner. They must be there on some kind of debrief. Figured I'd have about an hour to hang around Dodge before heading out; in fact, I actually considered just circumventing Dodge City entirely and moving on to my next safehouse before deciding against it._

 _Lucky for me, no traps sprung up. In fact, I didn't see Thundershield or his cronies at all._

 _When I reached Dodge City, I had to duck around the garrison troops, after which I snuck into the local general store for some provisions. No crime if you don't get caught, right? Still, I don't particularly enjoy getting that close to a heavily populated area. The last time I shoplifted didn't go well, and getting spotted by a janitor or some kids playing hopscotch isn't my idea of a good time. And yet, despite sticking around and hour and a half more than I said I'd stay, not one guard came looking for me and not a single tripwire was found. So I decided to stay for lunch, had a loaf of bread and some apples on a rooftop, then I snuck out and was back on the road._

 _My next halfway house is about eight miles out into the plains. It's about three o'clock now, so it'll be getting dark soon considering winter is on the way. I'll lie low there for the next day or so, then it's on to my next waypoint. Sun's getting low; that's good, I like looking at the stars, and besides, traveling by night lowers my chances of being spotted._

 _Yeah, it's been a really_ great _day, come to think of it._

 _And that tends to be my world's way of telling me that something isn't right._


	7. Chapter 6

James slid down the dark hole into a large, open den. Fumbling around for the briefest of moments, he eventually found what he was looking for. Striking a match, he lit the oil lamp hanging from a hook hammered into the stone ceiling above and suddenly the small, crude apartment was visible to him.

He had reached his next halfway-house at roughly midnight, so the outside was very dimly lit by the moon. To hide the entrance he used a barrel-lid covered with moss; he picked that lid up and whanged it back into place, closing the 'door' to his tiny den. It was located in the middle of the plains between Dodge City and Fillydelphia, an area remarkably low in cover. When James discovered it, it was a wet, filthy cave of sorts beneath a huge boulder, likely formed millennia ago by a passing glacier. It was still wet and filthy now, but somewhat less so; comfort was a luxury for him, but he was able to set down a tarp on the dirt floor and place a cot and a small table and stool in to make it more homely. Not feeling particularly tired at the moment, James sat down and pulled a map of Equestria from his pack.

As he reviewed the map, which had all of his currently-standing hideaways marked on it, he reached back in his pack and pulled out a pen, which he used to cross out a circled spot in red; the cave that he had blown to smithereens about a week ago. With the constant repetition of his circuit and the little, barely-noticeable markers he'd set up to help him along, James could just burn the map and go by memory (it'd be one less thing to worry about falling into enemy hands, after all), but having something he could use in case he ever forgot anything was… comforting to him. There was something bugging him about what happened in Dodge. Something about the way he didn't see Thundershield's forces coming at him.

James sighed. _You'll figure things out,_ he reassured himself. _You always do._

Then he got up, stretched, crawled into his cot and fell asleep, letting the oil lamp burn.

* * *

Colin had quickly realized after waking up that this world was not a dream.

When he got out of bed, Colin had found breakfast already waiting for him; bread, cheese and celery. Colin ate and then decided to wander around, hoping to familiarize himself with the massive palace. As he made his way around the halls, he noticed the random patrols of the guards in golden armour, each one traveling in pairs as they went about their business. None of them stopped him, nor did they say anything, but every time Colin passed one of the patrols he'd notice them eying him, giving him sideways or suspicious looks. Sometimes when they were behind him he'd hear muttering, whispers that he couldn't make out but knew innately were about him.

He guessed they didn't exactly trust him.

Colin wandered around for about twenty minutes, going past the throne room Celestia had him brought to yesterday, which was currently vacant. Eventually he made his way around to a spiral staircase leading downwards to ground level, where a door led him outside back into the garden. Pathways of cobblestone had been laid down to give him a sense of direction; he decided not to stray too far from them, just in case. The mountain air was fresh, but chilly, and when Colin breathed, his breath misted slightly, a tell-tale sign of the season. There wasn't any snow yet, and the cold wasn't unbearable, so it was likely autumn, but winter wasn't far off, that was for sure. Despite the cold, all around him the plants of the garden bloomed in multiple colours. Hedges and bushes almost glowed with red, orange, yellow and other assorted blossoms. Fountains sprayed clear water and around them were placed various statues of ponies carved from granite and marble on plinths, dancing, playing instruments and doing other certain things.

Eventually, Colin's wandering brought him to an empty plinth standing around what he judged was the center of the gardens. Tall and thin, there wasn't anything placed upon it and no inscription had been written saying who or what was supposed to be there. Still, just being around it made him feel tense, and Colin had no idea why. Curiously, he stepped closer towards it, reaching out to brush the edge of it….

But suddenly Colin felt eyes on him and whirled around to see Celestia standing behind him. She didn't look angry or concerned, she was just watching him.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Just the last ten seconds," Celestia answered. "I felt that if I waited for you to notice me on your own this time I wouldn't scare you."

"Right," Colin replied, "Listen, can we make a deal?"

"I suppose."

"From here on in, no more sneaking up on me, alright?"

Celestia couldn't help but laugh. "I guess that's reasonable," she conceded.

Colin turned back towards the plinth. "So… what's this thing supposed to be?"

In response, Celestia only frowned. "It… _was_ the statue of an old enemy," she explained, "one who was turned away from darkness recently. To tell the truth, I've been meaning to have that plinth removed and replaced with something else, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Now, as for you…"

"What about me?" Colin asked.

"I _did_ tell you I was going to show you around," Celestia said. "But when I said that, I was hoping we'd do it together."

Colin stared at her. "Is there a reason why you want me so close?" he found himself asking. He didn't know why he asked her that; it felt rude, especially considering that she had basically taken him in.

Rather than get upset, however, Celestia simply nodded. "You're a strange creature, Colin; one that hasn't been seen in Equestria before. You are… _unique,"_ she lied, "and your uniqueness might cause people to see you as dangerous or otherworldly. Now I'm sure the ponies here will warm up to you, eventually, but until then I'd like to keep you here, where I know you won't end up getting into any trouble."

Colin thought back to the day before, and how the guard that spotted him reacted to his presence; it was an immediate and panicked action, as though he'd assumed from looking at him that he was a threat. Considering that, he decided Celestia's reasoning was sound enough for him.

"All right," Colin agreed. "I guess I can stay here a while. In the meantime," he said, gesturing to the castle, "I'm pretty sure I've missed at least one or two places wandering around here, so if you'd like to show me them…"

Celestia smiled. "Sure. Follow me."

* * *

After leaving the gardens, Colin and Celestia wandered aimlessly around the palace, the princess showing him the places he had missed. There wasn't much else that mattered to Colin; there were a few other bedrooms, a couple kitchens, and a guardhouse near the front entrance where the patrols would gather on the breaks between their shifts. A dining hall where Colin was told he could go to for lunch and dinner was shown to him as well as where the restrooms were (which in this labyrinthine building Colin decided to take note of most). While making their way up towards a tall spire where Celestia told him was an observatory of sorts, the pair ran into another horse like Celestia, only this one was different. She was slightly smaller than Celestia, and her body was a deep blue in contrast to Celestia's stark white. Her mane had a similar effect to Celestia's as well, only it was black and speckled with glinting stars of white, blue and some red, like the night sky. Celestia explained that this was Luna, her younger sister, and introduced him to her. After a short chat, the two of them moved on.

"So, your manes," Colin asked. "And those markings on your…"

"We call them Cutie Marks," Celestia answered after Colin trailed off. "You're wondering why mine's a sun and Luna's is a moon."

"Yes," was all he could answer.

"Well," Celestia told him as the two began ascending a creaky wooden staircase, "when an Equestrian is born, they don't have these marks. A Cutie Mark relates to a pony's talent, and when they find out what that talent is, the mark appears on their flank. I've seen it happen," she said wistfully. "It's truly beautiful."

"Cutie Marks," Colin repeated. "So, finding them is like, a journey of self-realization, right? And if yours is a sun, then that would mean that your talent is related to the sun."

"Correct on both counts," Celestia replied. "I'm in charge of the daytime, and Luna is in charge of the nighttime in contrast."

Colin paused. "Hang on," he asked, "how?"

Celestia didn't stop, forcing him to keep up with her. "Magic flows through every single being in this universe. It is the driving force behind everything you see; when an Earth Pony sows a seed, magic causes it to grow; when a Pegasus takes to the air, magic is what keeps them aloft and stops them from tumbling out of the sky; and when a Unicorn casts a spell, it is magic that they manipulate to their will. Sometimes, however, certain things need a bit of a push to get going."

The two of them finally reached the top of the spire and walked out onto a small balcony where a telescope had been positioned. This area had to have been the highest point in the world; Colin could see beyond the guardrail the entire land laid out, blanketed by heavy clouds. Because they were far above the cloud line, the sun turned everything a golden, almost heavenly hue.

"Wonderful view, isn't it?" Celestia asked before returning to her little lesson. "Look through the telescope; show me what you see over in that area," she instructed, gesturing to a tiny speck of a town in the far distance. There was no way this tiny little telescope would be able to see that far, and yet when Colin leaned in and looked through the spyglass, he could not only see the town but make out the people scurrying about and the tiny details.

"…Astonishing," he breathed.

"The town you're looking at," Celestia told him, "is called Ponyville. I have a protégée there, a former student of mine who has recently become a princess of her own making, the princess of Friendship, in fact. Her name is Twilight Sparkle; maybe one day, when the people trust you enough, I'll send you to visit her. Now, turn the telescope to this location." And by gently nudging the telescope Celestia guided his eye to a cluster of clouds, where a group of winged Pegasi were flying around like insects. At first, Colin assumed they were simply playing around, but then he noticed that they were in fact pushing the cloud along.

"As I said, sometimes things need a push to get going," Celestia continued. "And nature itself is one of them. These Pegasi are cloud-movers; without them, the clouds would float in one place until they evaporated, and no rain would come to water the crops we need for food. This is considered our way of life in all but a small handful of locations where nature works on its own. And as for what I do… well, similar to how these cloud-movers shift the clouds to bring rain, I use my magic to move _that."_

Colin leaned away to get a look at what Celestia was pointing to. Shielding his eyes, he looked up towards the sun but didn't see anything…. And then it dawned on him.

"You… you _move the sun?"_ Colin exclaimed. "That's impossible."

"Not here," Celestia replied. "Here, I move the sun, make it rise and set to bring about night, and Luna in turn shifts the moon across the sky to bring about day again. Without us, it took a whole group of powerful wizards to do it, and it drained their lives away; without anyone to do it, the sun and moon would hang in the sky forever, leaving one side of the world in endless day and the other in endless night."

"Then…" Colin's head spun. "Do you have any idea how much power it would take to move a _star?_ You'd have to be a god to do it!"

"I'm no god," Celestia replied flatly. "And I don't expect you or anyone else to treat me like one. I am like you; equally as fallible and prone to mistakes. Never forget that."

For a long time the two of them looked out over the world, saying nothing as Colin processed this information. There were so many things about this world that were different from what little he could remember of his home; it was like a paradise.

Eventually, he spoke. "Is there anything else you'd like to show me?"

"Well," Celestia said, not taking her eyes off the view, "we have two libraries here, if you like reading; one is free for you to visit, the other is strictly off-limits. We also have a dungeon with holding cells; they're empty right now, and also off-limits. We'll go see them in a moment, but dinner's not far off, so we won't be long. After we eat, I'll show you how I move the sun, and then I'll leave you to go back to your room and get some sleep."

"Fair enough," was Colin's only reply.

* * *

Evening came faster than expected. Or perhaps, exactly as fast as suspected. It was late autumn after all, so the days were going to get shorter as winter progressed on.

It had admittedly been a lazy day for princess Twilight Sparkle; at least, lazy in compare to the more recent happenings and events, which was extremely welcoming all things considered. Currently, her work was mostly minor, solving little disputes between friends or families as opposed to going on adventures to far-flung lands or attending parties. Perhaps the most eventful day she'd had in the last six months was when she and her friends stopped Starlight Glimmer from removing the talents of the ponies that she was living among. Spike was sitting just across the study from her, idly reading one of his comic books that had just come out today.

While he did that, Twilight scribbled down the slight events of her day in the journal she kept by her side. While she no longer had to write letters to her mentor and friend, Celestia, old habits die hard, and besides, it was useful to keep a record around at least for posterity. The writing was a comfortable routine, and soon she got lost in it, so much so that she didn't notice Spike suddenly standing beside her until he gently tugged at her mane to get her attention.

"You got a letter from Celestia," he told her. Clutched in his hand was a scroll that had been unrolled, the wax seal still attached to the paper. "It said it was meant to be private."

In spite of what Spike had just told her, Twilight grinned at him. "So, naturally, you read it," she asked him.

Spike smiled apologetically back at her. "Sorry," he said. "I got curious."

"It's fine, nosy," Twilight joked, and took the letter from him.

' _Twilight._

' _I understand that it is late, and I apologize, but this is a somewhat urgent matter.'_

That couldn't have been good.

' _It is nothing that requires your immediate attention, so don't worry about that; and no, before you ask, it's nothing about you. You've been doing splendidly, exactly as I'd hoped you would. However, it's still an important matter and I'd like you to report to me in person as soon as you are able.'_

A feeling of anxiety began to set in. Despite the reassurance that this wasn't about her, Twilight could only let her imagination run wild wondering what this problem would be that would require her to go to Canterlot and talk to Celestia face-to-face. It most definitely couldn't have been good in that case. She just hoped that it wasn't about…

' _Four years ago…'_

…And there it was. Of course it would be about him. Still, Twilight gave herself the benefit of the doubt; maybe after all this time he'd finally have been caught, and this letter was just a summons to the court hearing. Twilight kept reading.

' _Four years ago, there was a series of strange events regarding the discovery of a creature in the Everfree Forest. Today, there has been a new development linked directly to that series of events. Perhaps I shouldn't be telling you about it just yet, but the last time it happened, I didn't tell you and I paid for it dearly. So this time around, I want us_ both _to be ready for what's coming._

 _I need you to come to Canterlot as soon as possible. You may tell your friends where you are going, and why you had to go when you return to them; I trust them enough to know they won't spread any rumors. However, it is imperative that_ nopony else _be told of what transpires during our meeting. Again I apologize for everything this letter entails; I'm sorry I had to drag you into this, but I'm not going to have repeats of before if I can help it.'_

Twilight's hopes had been all but dashed by that paragraph. Celestia wanted this meeting to remain secret; she'd only ever have a good reason as to why. That concerned and unnerved her more than anything; it could only mean something sinister was about to happen and she was trying to avoid a panic. Twilight sighed. Things were only going to go to Tartarus in a handbasket from here.

' _Thank you kindly for your time, Twilight. I will be expecting you._

 _Your mentor,_

 _Celestia'_


	8. Chapter 7

_On the move once more._

 _All things considered, I'd love to crawl back under the rock I've been sleeping under and get some more downtime, but staying too long in one place is, like pretty much everything, dangerous; stay on the move,_ always _on the move. Otherwise they catch up to me. I can count on that. Besides, things may develop that are important to me, and I wouldn't want to miss that now would I?_

 _There are thirteen pieces of metal out there that I consider extremely important. Any Equestrian citizen that doesn't know better would dismiss them as junk; scraps of garbage of no use, except maybe as a paperweight. But I and a select few in the government, military and other departments know better. They call them the Spellbane Shards, and man do they live up to that name._

 _So, in layman's terms, the way Equestria works is through magic; everything, the weather, the wires that power electric lights, even things like a cockatrice's stare, can all be traced back to magic. There are two things I know for certain that are exempt from this rule, and both of them aren't from Equestria. Now, I can't inherently use magic; I can't fly, or make things grow, or shift reality with my mind, but I_ am _affected by it. Hit me with a magic beam, and it burns my skin. But this Spellbane Metal… it's like it's made from a pure, solid mass of the_ absence _of magic. It doesn't just extend to not being affected by it, either. It actually_ nullifies _magic,_ destroys _it. It can block magic beams, cut through force barriers, telekinetics can't move it, and that just scratches the surface; electrical wiring severed by a Spellbane blade goes dead. Living plants and vines wither when cut by one. And Timberwolves, which are notorious for being able to pull themselves together from pretty much anything? Strike one down with a Spellbane Shard, and that spark just… fizzles out._

 _I should know. I'm the lucky owner of a_ sword _made out of the stuff._

 _I came by it during the Siege of Canterlot four years ago. It was being wielded by the leader of the Phantom Army sent to destroy the city, Thrall, or as I know him, Liam Holt. I won't pretend I knew him, but since that day, when he gave me the sword, I've felt like there's some kind of connection between me and him. He's dead, of course, long gone (which is, apparently, par for the course for my potential allies. Typical.). What remains, however, are these fragments of metal and this sword, and they are one of my two most closely-guarded secrets, the other of course being my friendship with Lyra. If the Equestrian higher-ups ever caught wind of this fact, they'd be more determined than ever to bring me in, and with good reason, too; this metal is anathema to them. If it ever fell into the wrong hands, those hands would easily be able to use them as weapons, same as Thrall, and just like him, they'd be practically invincible on all but a physical level._

 _That's why I have to find all of the remaining four shards that are still out there. I'm not the only one looking for them; Celestia's sent out teams to search for them as well. Can't say I'm doing this purely out of the goodness of my heart; if the Equestrians find them all, I'll lose the only edge I have against them. What's worse, remnants of the Phantom Army still loyal to the monster that sent them here are looking to reassemble them so that they can hold another portal open. No. Never again will I let that happen. Not while I've got my freedom._

 _Not while I've got this sword._

* * *

It was still a ways to go Fillydelphia, but James didn't have to walk the whole way. A major railroad cut across the plains in the direction of the city, which meant that he just needed to hop on and ride it out to the limits, at which point he'd just hop back off and find a less obvious way in. Typically the town watch or Royal Guard militia patrols were stationed at the train stations to sweep the trains when they came in (yet another security measure to deter James from fare-jumping), and occasionally they posted marshals on the trains themselves, but they rarely got up off their slacker butts to check the cars while it was in motion. James guessed that they just assumed he couldn't get on a moving train. They were mistaken. Waiting by the tracks until one of the trains passed by, James sprinted to keep up with the passing locomotive, then leapt onto the bridge connecting two baggage cars and let himself in. Freight haulers like this were safer to travel on than passenger trains; far less likely for security or some curious guest to come poking around.

The freight car wasn't lit, so James spent the first minute or so fumbling around in the dark until he found the large door they used to load and off-load the cargo and opened it. It only ever needed to be opened just an inch or so; enough to let in light and allow James a view of outside without being noticed from far off. With the car now dimly lit, James could see its contents were massive wooden crates marked for the city. Unlike Ponyville or Appleloosa, rural towns with small populations, Fillydelphia was an urban metropolis, on par with Manehattan and Baltimare at the north and south respectively; it was likely the crates were filled with industrial steel and concrete mix for construction. It was a sobering sight, as it reminded James he'd have to be three times as cautious as he would normally be in the country.

A few hours passed until he reached his objective. Roughly ten miles from the city limits, James slid the cargo door open, clung to the outside, slid the door closed again and then leapt off the train, rolling as he impacted on the ground to avoid hurting himself. With his journey almost done, James rose and, dusting himself off, made his way towards the city on foot. Getting in unnoticed wasn't going to be too difficult; as long as he avoided the sentries and made sure there were no eyes in the skies, he could reach the urban area and disappear into the streets. But, hearing the screech of a falcon above, James knew he couldn't stay for very long.

He needed to get what he came for and get out before Thundershield caught up with him. In other words, it was just another ordinary day.

* * *

Twilight shifted uncomfortably.

' _There is absolutely_ no reason _why you should be acting like this,'_ she thought to herself. _'None! Celestia_ said _it was nothing about you, didn't she? So just… go in. Talk to her.'_

The journey to Canterlot had been blisteringly cold, but thankfully short. Twilight actually had to make use of her newfound wings for once, as if this was an urgent matter, despite whatever reassurance Celestia told her, trotting her way to the capital would take far too long and she wasn't about to keep her teacher waiting. All things considered, she likely could have asked for a ride and Celestia would have obliged, but flying was a new experience to her, and being up in the clouds was… exciting, to say the least. And yet, now that she was here, right in front of Celestia's study, she was hesitant to go inside.

Why did the doors have to be _closed?_ All it did was add to her anxiety.

' _Deep breaths. You've done nothing wrong, you're just here for a meeting. Celestia will tell you what's wrong, and then you can go home and get back to your usual routine.'_ With that, Twilight reached out with her mind, turned the knob, and walked in.

She found Celestia sitting there, writing absentmindedly in her own journal. As Twilight entered, she set the book down, marking her page as she closed it.

"Hello, Twilight," she greeted her. "It's nice to see you after such a long time. Do you want some tea?"

Twilight was set at ease almost immediately by her mentor's informality. "Yes, please," she told her. Before long, the two were enjoying their tea as Celestia told her why she had been summoned.

"You obviously got my letter," she said, "so I won't repeat the details you already know. What I _will_ tell you, however, is not to leave this room until the proper moment. It is imperative. Is that clear?"

"Clear," Twilight agreed. "So, what's wrong? Why can't I tell anyone about it? What does this have to do with James?"

Celestia's expression darkened. "This matter doesn't have to do with James Alistair."

Twilight frowned. "I… don't understand. You mentioned in your letter that…" she trailed off as her expression changed from confusion to horror. "Oh no. It's _that thing,_ isn't it? The monster that led those soldiers when the Incident happened."

The Princess made no attempt to correct her, but instead nodded. _"Ophidian."_

 _Ophidian._ The name echoed in Twilight's mind, bringing back horrible memories. At the apex of the Foal Mountain Incident, a massive gateway had ripped open the skies above the mountain range to the east of Canterlot. From that gateway came an unknown creature of aberrant origin, a massive twin-headed serpent made of warping, violent white energy. Because of its snakelike appearance, those in the general populace started calling it 'The Serpent of Foal Mountain', which got shortened to simply 'The Serpent', and finally 'Ophidian', and the name stuck ever since. Twilight was unfortunate enough to attract its attention during the fighting that night, and its assault nearly killed her and wiped Ponyville off the map. However, in an ironic twist, none other than James Alistair managed to cripple it and send it back to where it came from. That is, before he murdered a Guard Captain sent to detain him and fled justice. Since then, Equestria took the time to rebuild the damages and move on; considering the artifact it used to get here was destroyed and scattered across the land, Twilight naturally assumed Ophidian was defeated. She must have been wrong in her assumption.

"He's making another move on Equestria," Celestia continued grimly. "And at the moment, there's little we can do about it; we have no idea where he'll strike first, or when."

"Okay… so, what do we have against him?" Twilight listened intently for Celestia's answer, but it took her a while to respond.

"We know he's coming this time," she said finally. "And that gives us an advantage we didn't have before. We also know how he got here last time, so our objective is clear; we need to find those Spellbane Shards. _As soon as possible."_

Twilight winced at the mention of the Spellbane Shards. Twilight only ever saw one, at this very palace, just before it was placed in the Royal Archive where it was locked away. Not even Celestia, for all her star-moving power, could so much as shift the scrap of metal a single inch. The guards had to pick it up and carry it inside, showing that it was completely impervious to magic. Dangerous as they were to everyone in Equestria, they had to be collected and placed somewhere safe. The problem was, James was looking for them as well, no doubt in pursuit of his own agenda regarding them; going after them would only put them in conflict with him, and Twilight had honestly had enough of that criminal years ago.

Twilight sighed. "I suppose you want me to go looking for these shards."

"No."

"I'll be sure to—wait. What?" she was legitimately surprised by that response. "What do you mean, 'No'? Celestia, I'm perfectly capable of doing it, and the girls will know exactly why we have to do it when I tell them what's going on. I promise none of us will mind; given the stakes of the situation, we _need_ to do this!"

"No," Celestia repeated. "Twilight, there's a reason why I summoned you, but it wasn't to send you and your friends out for the shards. I did it to warn you of what's coming, and to show you something that may allude to an even more sinister plot."

Twilight regarded her. "Like… what, exactly?"

Celestia held Twilight's gaze, and the unblinking look into her eyes chilled Twilight to the bone. And then she did something completely unexpected considering how grim their conversation had been up to that point. She grinned, winked at her, then rose from her spot and trotted over to the door. Sticking her head out the door, she called out to an unseen person beyond. "You can come in now!"

Then, as though the previous conversation never happened, Celestia went back to her place and sat back down, sipping from her tea delightedly. Twilight watched as a tall, slender being with pale skin and brown hair atop its head wandered into the room.

The good news; it wasn't James Alistair.

The bad news…

 _It wasn't James Alistair._

"Twilight Sparkle, This is Colin," Celestia introduced the human.

* * *

Hiding in any settlement was simple enough for all but the smallest communities; it all basically came down to just going where the people living there were reluctant to go. Luckily, there wasn't a shortage of dark alleys in the metropolitan area of Fillydelphia, and James had been hiding from people more adept at spotting him than the average citizen for nearly half a decade.

Patrols from the Equestrian Guard were lessened here, which was helpful towards his efforts to stay out of sight. The main reason for that was because James didn't normally come here. He often circumvented the urban areas, much in the same way he avoided Canterlot, simply because there were too many eyes. Besides, living in the wilderness had a different feel than living in the city; the scents were different, the wind was free to sweep the smell of pollution away, and the buildings and skyscrapers simply didn't provide the same cover as the claustrophobic forests of the countryside. James hunkered down next to a dumpster and waited. An acquaintance of his frequented a food court near here; it was getting to be around time for him to show up.

Before long, James started getting impatient. After roughly an hour of waiting he finally was about to assume he hadn't come by after all and head out to look for him, but just as he was about to leave the person he was looking for happened to pass by.

Or rather, the _dog_ he was waiting for.

His name was Buddy; or at least, James _knew_ him as Buddy. Considering 'Buddy' was the most generic name a person could ever give a dog, it was just as likely that was simply a street name of some sort. Lean, squat, a filthy golf cap on his head and covered in shaggy, mottled grey fur, James had met the unhygienic mutt a year ago when he was retrieving his most recent Spellbane Shard from Horseshoe Bay Penitentiary. In order get close to it, he had to get himself captured; Buddy was his cellmate, and when he busted out of the prison with the Shard in tow, he ended up tagging along too. Once the two of them were homefree, the two made a deal; Budddy would lie low and keep an ear open, and in return, James would check up on him to make sure he wasn't in trouble and pay him to act as a sort of informant. He was a sour, unsavoury character, and James wouldn't exactly call him his friend, but as far as allies went, there were worse choices to make. James rummaged around in his pockets and eventually produced a silver dog whistle, and blew into it. From his hiding spot, he could see Buddy visibly wince from the whistle, before looking down the alley where he noticed James crouching in the dark. Annoyed, he padded over to greet him.

"Ow!" he hissed angrily at him. "Is there no other way, _no other way at all_ that you can get my attention!?"

"Good to see you too," James replied. "How are things?"

"Eh, status quo." Buddy shifted on his haunches and sat, lifting one of his back legs to scratch his ear. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you're not meeting me for coffee."

"Unfortunately, you'd be correct in that. I wouldn't come around bothering you unless it was necessary; experience has shown that anyone with connections to me ends up threatened, if not missing. But I can't get close enough to the Guard precinct to catch any crosstalk, and I'm currently at a loss for any leads on the Spellbane Shards. I need a point in the right direction, and you're the only one I can count on."

Buddy stared skeptically at him. "There are a _lot_ of things in the world that I don't know, Al."

"Yeah?" James slipped off his backpack and took out a fist-sized sack of Equestrian bits. Laying it on the ground, he slid it over to him with his shoe. "Tell me about the stuff you don't know. Then you can maybe use that money to buy a bath."

Buddy opened the bag, caught a coin between his toes, bit into it, and dropped it back in the bag. "Alright, James, but you ain't gonna like it. Word is that the Guards have found a chunk of that metal you're looking for."

"Right. And the bad news?"

"I got the location. It's in the Forbidden Jungle to the far south."

James groaned. The Forbidden Jungle was way the hell and gone in the opposite direction from where he was planning to go, up north towards the fringe of the Crystal Empire. And it wasn't just that, either; going there was going to be a long and dangerous journey, both there and back, and it far removed him from any help or resources that he'd might need.

"There's more," Buddy continued. "There was an interesting development on the outskirts of the city. That Thundershield guy you said was stalking you? He was here yesterday. Talking to some hired muscle of his, willowy outdoorsman type by the look of him. Called him 'Green-Shanks' or something like that."

James laughed uneasily. "Gladeshine, Buddy. His name's Gladeshine. So, what, you're telling me he's already a day ahead of me?"

Buddy nodded. "Thundershield told him to take half his squad and go oversee the search. Guess they must've been _way_ ahead; they managed to send an advance force to set up a camp site."

"So the other half of Thundershield's group is waiting for me here, yeah? Guess that softens the blow a bit." James zipped his backpack up and swung it back across his shoulder. "Alright, Buddy, thanks a lot for the info. As always, I owe you one."

"Hey, wait!" Buddy called out as James turned to leave. "You aren't gonna go alone, are ya?"

"I don't see how I have a choice," James replied, "unless you're thinking of coming with me."

"Hey, pal," Buddy told him. "What you're doing with those shards ain't none of my business. That being said, I do hear some stories from that jungle, and well… Y'know, they do like to make rumors about _gold…"_

"You want to tag along?" James asked. "I'm not going to stop you. Just remember that if we get separated, it's your fault if you get killed."

"Hey, whatever man, deal," Buddy said. "I'll meet you 'round the outskirts after dinner; I got a few errands to run first. I wouldn't miss this kind of score for the world!"

James simply grinned and turned to leave, but Buddy had just a few more words to say.

"Hey James?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"Lissen. There was… _another_ small thing I should tell you about. When I saw Thundershield and Gladeshine yesterday, they started talkin' about something else, too. Something that didn't have anything to do with the shards."

James stared back curiously. "That being?"

Buddy shrugged. "Couldn't hear; they got all quiet. And they looked… _spooked."_

James regarded him. "Thanks for your help, Buddy. Six o'clock sharp, you'll know where to find me. If you're a minute late, I'm ditching you."

With that, the two parted. As promised, Buddy showed up around ten to six, and the two made their way back in the direction of Dodge City. Before they started on their way, however, James gazed out to the mountain where Canterlot stood on the horizon, wondering what kind of news Thundershield learned there.

Then he grunted, shifted the backpack on his shoulders, and turned towards the forest.


	9. Chapter 8

Twilight had no words.

There she was, sitting there, staring with her mouth open like some _idiot_ at the human standing before her. It wasn't that she had never seen a human before. In fact, it wasn't even because another human even being here was supposed to be impossible. It was the fact that this particular human was apparently on good terms with Celestia, something that given the experience with James was considered nigh unthinkable by her. Later, she'd be ashamed of herself by assuming this 'Colin' was just like James, as though violence and rudeness were a mould that all his kind naturally fit in, but for now she was so taken aback by this new human in Equestria that she could do nothing but gawk at him.

Both Celestia and Colin could feel the awkward silence in the air. There was a sharp noise; Twilight suddenly realized that, with all of her attention on the human, she had lost focus on her tea, letting it fall to the floor where the empty, delicate cup cracked.

"Well? Say something!" Celestia encouraged. She didn't direct the comment to either of them, which was a mistake.

"Hi—" Colin began.

"Uhm—" Twilight said at the same time.

The room seemed to get even _quieter_ after that.

"…O-Okay, that was my fault," Celestia said finally. "Colin, this is Twilight Sparkle. She's my friend and student, as well as the Princess of Friendship and the Element of Magic. Or rather, she _was_ the Element of Magic. I told you she was coming by this morning, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," Colin replied. "Though, I don't quite remember if you told me _why."_

" _Yes,"_ Twilight agreed, turning towards Celestia with a just-barely-believable smile on her face. "Why _did_ you summon me, Celestia? I don't think we really got around talking about it."

"Well," she explained. "I was just about to tell you after you and Colin got somewhat acquainted with one another. Colin, as you can plainly tell, is not from around here. And he's looking to find a way home. But I'm a very busy person, Twilight, and work is going to _pick up_ soon in light of… recent events. So… I was hoping that you would be up to the challenge of helping Colin discover a way back."

Twilight fell silent again. Back and forth, she shifted her gaze between Colin and Celestia. "I…" She couldn't form words; everything was suddenly going so fast. "I need a moment to consider. Do you think I could speak to you for a moment?"

Celestia looked at her, then shifted her gaze to Colin. "I'm sorry Colin, but could you wait outside for a moment?"

Colin shrugged. "Sure, no problem." Then he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

"You know, that was a _very_ rude first impression," Celestia told her once Colin was gone.

Twilight was feeling particularly bold all of a sudden, the anxiety from the beginning of their meeting completely gone. "I'm sorry," she replied sarcastically, "I wasn't expecting _another human to come walking into the room!_ Where did you even _find_ him!?"

"The Guards found him," Celestia explained, "when they mistook him for James and captured him!"

"Gee, wonder why they'd do that?"

The way Celestia looked at Twilight then was enough to bring back the anxiety and cause her to shrink back from her uncomfortably. The message behind it was clear, however; this was not a laughing matter.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Twilight apologized. She tried desperately to not meet her mentor's gaze, and noticed the broken teacup still on the floor. Instinctually, she picked up the pieces with her mind and dumped them in a wastebasket nearby.

Celestia sighed. "Twilight, I understand you don't trust humans. And I understand that you have more reason than anyone to be so distrustful, since…" she trailed off. "Regardless, Colin has been here for two days. I've spoken to him, and he to me. He's open, and honest, and curious about the world around him… he's _different,_ Twilight. Different from James in a lot of ways."

"But in how many ways is he _similar_ to him?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know. But like I said, he's been here for two full days without a single complaint from the Guards, or anyone here. He's been mostly speaking to me, staying where I can see him, and it was _his choice_ to do so; James, by contrast, couldn't stand _one minute_ in this palace without instigating a fight or committing a crime of some sort. If he was anything like him, he'd be long gone by now."

That made Twilight consider her opinion of Colin somewhat. "I still don't trust him," she decided. "After all, the fact he's here in the first place can only mean one thing."

"That's why I called you. Things are only going to go downhill from here; obviously you know that. But I refuse to put you in danger by having you go after the shards. I myself will plan a strategy to deal with this problem, and expect that I will be sending you more letters as events develop."

"And what am I supposed to do? Wait for news?" Twilight already knew the answer, and she hated it, but she felt she should ask anyway.

"That's exactly what I need you to do," Celestia told her. "I can't keep my eye on Colin forever; I need you to do it for me. He can't find out that there are others of his kind here; I will _not_ let him and James Alistair meet. It will only lead to trouble. And you're _smart,_ Twilight. I know you can help Colin get back to his world, and I know that I can count on you to find a way out of nearly everyone I know."

"So… you want me to… take Colin back to Ponyville?"

Celestia made a face that showed Twilight that even she didn't like that idea. "I'm afraid so. It's arguably the safest place for him; Ponyville's a small town, well-removed from the capital and from any threat to the world."

The two stared at one another for a long time. Eventually, Celestia broke the silence. "Twilight, _please._ I'm not commanding you to do it; I'm _asking_ you."

Twilight sighed. "I'll do it, Celestia, regardless of whether you're ordering me. You know that. Just… be careful. I don't agree with your observation of Ponyville being _safe,_ nor do I trust Colin at all right now; he's going to have to _earn_ that. But I promise you, I will do everything within my power to try to find a way back to his home. Who knows; maybe when this is over, James will still be, well, _alive_ enough to go back with him."

"Here's hoping," Celestia smiled at her pupil. "But for now, you need to start your research into the world Colin's from, and I need to find a way to prepare for what's going to happen without stirring up concern with the people. I'm going to start by contacting and sending troops to Cadence and your brother up north; I fear that their relative isolation in the Crystal Empire will make them an easy first target."

Once their conversation was done, Celestia and Twilight exited the room together. Colin was waiting for them on the other side, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He straightened up as the two came back out.

"Well, Colin," Celestia informed him, "it's been good to get to know you, but I'm afraid that today you'll be getting handed off to Twilight. You are to go with her to Ponyville and help her try to research a way back home. I'm going to be very busy for a while, so my hooves will be too full to help you as I promised, and I'm sorry, but this is the most beneficial course of action that I can give you right now."

Colin didn't move for a moment, instead staring at the two of them and letting what Celestia had said sink in. "I don't… understand," he said, "I thought you said I was going to stay here."

"I know what I said, but Twilight can't stay here; she has jobs to do as well, important things in her home town that she needs to deal with. So instead of waiting for me to find a hole in my work schedule, or for Twilight to come up here every few days, I thought it best for you to go with her."

"Well, that's abrupt," Colin observed.

"There isn't a problem, I hope?" Celestia asked. "Twilight's one of the nicest people I know; I'm sure you'll get along just fine. We're trying to help you, Colin, but you'll have to trust us, okay?"

The human's stare became one of slight concern, but Colin finally nodded. "…Yeah. I trust you. No problem. So, when do we leave?"

"Within the hour," Celestia told him. "If there's anything you possess that is of value to you in your room, I suggest you go there now to pack."

And so Colin went off to do so. Once he was gone, Twilight turned back to her mentor.

"Is there anything else I should know before I leave?" she asked.

"A few things," Celestia confirmed. "First, under no circumstances is he to leave your castle. Second, if you feel you can trust your friends to keep his existence a secret, I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not to inform them of his presence; but it goes no further. If word gets out there's another human in Equestria, who knows what will happen. Finally, if you should come across anything unusual in your studies, or if you somehow lose track of Colin, you are to contact me immediately. And should he prove to be a threat, to _anyone,_ you are to detain him as best you can. Am I clear?"

Twilight nodded. "Clear."

* * *

"Alright, we have our location, we have our objective. Now we just need to plot the best course of action to get there, grab the shard, and get out."

It hadn't taken long for James to get back to his hidey-hole in the plains, even with Buddy in tow. The two were currently squatting down in the den, which James had thought was reasonably sized until he had to share it with someone, staring at his map on the table.

"We'll have to make a stop somewhere to pick up food and water for the trip," Buddy reminded him.

"Agreed. Okay, so, we are here…" James pointed at their location on the map with one of the knives he carried before moving it over to the far south, "and the Forbidden Jungle is here. The way I see it, we have two possible options."

"Those being?"

In response, James tucked his knife away and traced a path downwards with his finger. "Our first option is to head directly south of us, back past Dodge City. We'll have to cut through the Badlands, but it will land us right in the middle of the Jungle."

Buddy grunted. "The Badlands are called that for a reason. Miles of rock and desert. No resources 'cept what we take with us. Granted, nobody's gonna be able to track us through that. How long do you think it'll take going that way?"

"Hard to tell," James admitted. "Maybe a week, maybe longer. All depends on how we pace ourselves, when we decide to rest, and how long. Our other option is much faster; takes maybe a day, day and a half tops. But they'll no doubt be expecting it."

"Explain it to me anyway," Buddy encouraged.

"Instead of going south," James explained, "we head southwest. Head along the edge of Rambling Rock Ridge and the Everfree to Appleloosa. There's a railway there; it heads directly south through the Macintosh Hills into a canyon. Getting off will be dangerous, but it will put us on the western fringe of the Forbidden Jungle. From there, we'll just have to work our way east."

"Seems like it would be easier to take that route."

"Easier, but more dangerous. Consider this; it's likely those same trains are bringing extra supplies and troops to search the area, after all, they've got a lot of ground to cover. Still, I'm hoping to get this over with as fast as possible; I don't like being removed from the action here for too long. Especially not now."

"Especially?" Buddy asked curiously. "How so?"

James studied the map in silence for a moment before answering. "What you told me about Thundershield earlier. It could be nothing, but still. A few days ago it was weird too; they were at Canterlot, likely on debrief, but they had the time and the chance to try and set up an ambush in Dodge City, and they didn't even show up. I brushed it off as coincidence, but after telling me what you heard…"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know. Something just feels off." James shook his head. "I can't do anything about it right now, though. What matters is getting to that shard before the Spears do, and I need to focus on that objective before I go off chasing something that could very well be nothing of consequence."

James rose from the spot where he crouched, rolling the map up as he did so and sliding it into his bag. "We'll take the risk and board a train down south. I can't afford to stay far off, and I'm assuming you probably don't want to stay in that Jungle for long either."

"You'd be very correct," Buddy agreed. "Gold and jewels are worth nothing if I stay there long enough to get killed."

James regarded him. "Look, I'm not asking you to come with me," he told him. "I'm confident I can do this all by my lonesome, I mean, I've survived worse conditions."

"What, you asking me to leave?"

"I'm only saying, it's your last chance to do so. You say yes now, you're in until it's over."

Buddy considered this. "Eh. My greed has always trumped my common sense, anyhow."

James grinned. It was refreshing to know that there were criminals other than him in Equestria; it made it feel less like an earthly paradise of unnatural perfection, which in a sense comforted him. "Then I hope you got some rest before we convened this evening. We're not going to get a lot of shuteye tonight; it's going to be a straight march to Appleloosa, and we'll likely reach the railway by sunrise, assuming we travel fast and don't waste any time."

With that, the two of them began their trek southwest. Going the distance wasn't too exhausting, but the both of them knew they were in for quite the trip. Along the way, Buddy eventually asked James a question he'd been meaning to ask since they left.

"Say, James?"

"Yeah?"

"Just wondering, but, ah, how're we gonna find this shard, anyhow?"

James paused for a moment, thinking about his answer, before continuing at the same pace as before. "The bigger the operation," he surmised, "the less subtle it can be. Figure we just need to follow the trail the Guard sets for us and they'll lead us right to it."

"You realize that's a good way to walk into a trap, right?"

"Of course. It's always like that," he replied. "Still… I'm not quite known for being exactly subtle myself."

* * *

Colin reached his new temporary home alongside Twilight by nightfall. It was the first time he'd truly seen what Equestria looked like up close, and it was exhilarating.

The two were carried back on a flying chariot pulled by two of the Guardsponies he'd seen patrolling the palace at Canterlot. Neither of them said a word as they drove them across the land to the relatively small town called Ponyville. As the land flew past them below, Colin looked out across the world at the distant mountains stretching into the sky. As the sun set below the horizon, every star in the sky was made clear to him, so clear in fact that he could make out the alien constellations and the cosmic cloud of the galaxy they were in. He breathed in the air, and it was cold, but fresh. The moon took the place of the sun, and in that moment Colin realized that Celestia hadn't shown him how she raised the sun like she had promised him. That didn't really matter to him, but he _was_ curious to see it happen.

"Is this where you live?" Colin asked Twilight.

"Obviously," she replied. That made Colin feel like he'd asked a silly question, but he didn't dwell on it for long.

"It's amazing!" was all he said in response.

Before long, the two came in sight of Ponyville. It was a small town, rustic and rural in comparison to the more ornate and regal spires and villas of Canterlot. Shops lined a square near the city's centre, and a large orchard of trees could be seen taking up a sizeable amount of the town's edge. A river passed by, dotted with small bridges of cobblestone that connected the dirt roads to paths leading out of town. Practically surrounding the town was forest, trees forming a barrier almost in every direction. The two tallest structures in the town were a large tower set around the centre of the area (which Colin presumed to be the Town Hall), and a huge tree-like structure made of glittering crystal. Within the branches of that 'tree' was a castle not too unlike the Royal Palace. Despite all of this surreal, otherworldly features that intrigued Colin and made him wonder, his eye was drawn to a strange, empty plot in the land; a bare stretch of earth where nothing had been put up yet. The area looked… charred.

Colin pointed down towards the burnt earth. "Hey, Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"What's that spot there? Did something happen?"

Twilight gazed down at the place he was pointing to and abruptly replied, "Nothing that matters to you."

Colin looked at her, puzzled. He assumed that he had struck a nerve; Twilight's response was sudden and somewhat icy.

"Okay. Sorry," he said.

When the two of them landed outside Twilight's castle, she took the time to thank the two guards for their service and see them off. Once that was over with, the two went inside where Twilight led him to a living room of sorts. There was a couch nearby; Twilight took the time to inform him of where the washrooms were and gave him a blanket and pillow.

"Unfortunately I have no room prepared for you yet," she told him, "so you'll have to sleep on the couch tonight."

Colin was about to tell her that it wasn't a problem when a voice came from the nearby hall.

"Hey, Twilight? I figured I'd stay up until you got home."

Rounding the corner and entering the room came a diminutive, green lizard-thing. No, not a lizard; a small _dragon._

"So, how did the meeting with Celestia—" the dragon suddenly paused as he noticed Colin standing next to Twilight. "…Who is that?" he finally managed.

Twilight glanced back at Colin before continuing. "Spike, this is Colin. Colin, Spike."

"Hello," Colin said simply.

"Uh… Hi?" Spike replied.

Colin wasn't exactly in the mood to repeat everything that had been established to Twilight earlier; he was actually very tired from his day. "Uhm, I guess I'm going to turn in," he told Twilight. "It's been an eventful day. Thank you both for everything, and uh, nice meeting you, uh, Spike." Before either of them could protest, he moved over to the couch and curled up, facing away from them. Twilight stared at him for a moment, then made her way towards her own room without a word. Spike followed her.

"Okay… so that… happened—I'm sorry, _who_ is that guy and _why_ is he here?"

As it stood, Twilight wasn't feeling very chatty either, and tomorrow was likely going to be difficult, so she also wanted to get some sleep.

"I'll explain everything," she told Spike, "but in the morning, okay? For now, just… just go to sleep."

And then she closed her bedroom door and left Spike to wonder what exactly had happened at Canterlot.


	10. Chapter 9

Over the next week, Equestria's transition from late fall to early winter came about. After a couple days of pouring rainfall, the sun disappeared into a heavy cloud cover that seemed to last forever. When it finally resurfaced, the ground was hard and frosty and despite its best efforts, the sun could not warm the air enough to thaw the earth. While there wasn't any snow yet, the pegasi that controlled the weather were no doubt about to get a full, busy schedule.

Colin was having a hard time keeping up.

Twilight was almost always either buried in research or out of the house. Day in and day out, she'd rise from her bed, go to her private library, and from then on she would work tirelessly. Colin could barely understand where she got the energy for it. It wasn't just her working on it either. She often had Colin working just as hard as she was, helping look through various dusty tomes on spells, rituals, magic artefacts… he couldn't comprehend how any of it was supposed to _work,_ but Twilight rarely gave him the time to think about it. Perhaps that was for the best; thinking too much about the impossible and illogical had a tendency to make one's head spin.

The only time he ever got any sort of break was when Twilight wasn't home. Apparently, she had a job to do that required her to walk among the people. Colin had of course figured that, being a political element, she'd have some paperwork and such to go through, but he didn't expect her to go out and talk to others. Or maybe she was just looking for some outside contact and didn't want to hurt his feelings. Regardless, during that time Colin would pick books from the shelf at random and read through their contents to figure out how this world worked. Sometimes he'd be completely alone; other times the little dragon, Spike, would be sitting quietly across the room from him. One day, Colin got up the courage to ask him a question or two.

* * *

"Hey, uh… it's Spike, right?"

Spike took a moment to register that he was being talked to. "Yes?" he said, perking his head up suddenly.

"Sorry," the human, Colin, replied, "to bother you, that is, but… I just wanted to know something."

"…Okay, shoot."

"Why does Twilight leave the house so often?"

Spike considered that a strange question, but thought little of it. Colin was a newcomer, after all; still, it felt bizarre having a human so close to him and Twilight after…

Spike drove the thought from his head. "She goes out looking for Friendship Problems," he answered.

Colin stared at him, clearly unable to process what that meant. "…Sorry?"

"When Twilight was first sent here," Spike explained, "and this was _wayyy_ long ago, not aeons or anything but years back, Princess Celestia gave her a… mission, I guess is what you'd call it. Every day she'd look for a problem to solve, usually between friends in the neighborhood, and when the day was out she was to report back to Celestia by sending a letter detailing what she'd learned. Of course, Celestia never told her that the real reason was to make friends herself, but that isn't important. It's more or less been her occupation ever since, except now that she's the Princess of Friendship she does it in her own personal journal."

In response, Colin just stared some more. "…Oh," he replied simply. "So, let me get this straight; Twilight goes out there every few days to solve, what, fights between friends?"

"Yeah."

"And then she documents what she learned in a diary."

"That's a pretty simplified way of putting it, but yes."

"I… wow. That's certainly an interesting job. I've never heard of that before." Colin grinned. "Then again, I've never heard of flying horses moving the clouds around before either."

Spike let out a slight chuckle, as did Colin. Before long, there was a bit of quiet again, and Spike got curious.

"Hey," he suddenly asked Colin. "I was just wondering. Where they come from… they don't have people with wings, do they? Or horns?"

Colin was taken aback by this comment and didn't answer at first. "No," he told him. "Not that I can remember. I can't say I can recall anything from my home, but… I'm almost certain that there aren't any winged or horned humans." He shifted, flipping the page of the bestiary he was currently skimming through, then said, "Why do you ask?"

Spike looked off into the distance. Then he turned back to his own book. "No reason. Just curious."

For a while, the two of them sat alone together, occasionally asking the other questions. Most of Spike's questions were about what he could remember; of course, Colin's amnesia meant that he couldn't answer practically any of them. In contrast, most of Colin's questions were about Equestria, the daily rituals, the people, the places; and for every single question, Spike had an answer. Before long, Twilight had returned, and they were so deep in conversation that they didn't even notice she'd gotten back until she entered the room.

After greeting her, Spike continued his line of inquiry. "So, you were saying humans eat meat, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Colin replied. "Well, actually, humans are omnivorous; they eat meat and plants. Except, I think there's something about that which…" he trailed off, lost in thought.

Curious, Twilight looked over her shoulder from the desk nearby. Colin looked like he was thinking hard about something. "Go on," Spike prompted.

Suddenly, Colin straightened up. "I… I can remember something!" he exclaimed. "About home, about the people there— _I can remember!"_

Spike grinned at her, a wide toothy smile. Looking back at Colin, he asked, "Well, what is it?"

"Okay," Colin explained, "you know how humans are omnivores? Well, there are a few people who make the choice to _not_ be omnivores; to stop eating meat. We call them Vegetarians. And, because they don't eat meat, they don't get the nutrients that meat gives us, like iron."

"So, they get sick?"

"No, see, we developed these little pills, capsules filled with iron and nutrients for them to swallow with a glass of water. That way they still get the nutrients they need to keep healthy."

Twilight stared at him skeptically. "That's all well and good that you can remember that," she informed him, "But it's little information to go on about your home."

"It's nothing to go on," Colin agreed, rising to his feet, "In fact, it's completely irrelevant to anything. But it's a _start_ at least, isn't it?"

Twilight regarded him. "Maybe," she decided finally.

For a moment, Colin looked around, satisfied with himself. If all he had to do to remember something was talk about things for a while, he'd be on the way to recalling his past in no time. Then something caught his eye. It could have been nothing, but Colin stared at it for a moment, curious of the oddity of it. There was an empty space on the bookshelf; not a large one, and extremely easy to overlook, and likely not important or relevant at all, but it caught his attention because he didn't recall taking a book from there and didn't see any other blank spaces on the shelves.

"Hey," he asked Twilight. "What's supposed to be over there?"

Twilight looked where he was pointing and got worried. That space was where she'd put the book holding her notes on humans. It was a small, black book, held closed with a lock; the book was in her room and the key was in one of the drawers of her desk. It held what little information Equestria had about humans, their physiology and behaviour; of course, since their only contact with a human was James, and he wasn't exactly willing to tell people _anything,_ let alone stuff about him, there wasn't a lot of content the book had to offer.

"It's an empty space, Colin," she lied. "There's nothing there because I haven't found anything to put there."

"But the rest of your library is filled," Colin said, approaching the shelf to get a closer look. "And there isn't any dust there."

"It's nothing," Twilight replied flatly and immediately. "Probably just some children's novel or spellbook that someone forgot to put back. Nothing to worry about."

Colin stared at her. For a slight, unnerving moment, a ghost of suspicion crept into his gaze.

To mask her slight discomfort, Twilight smiled at him. "Colin, come on. Don't be so paranoid; I promised I was going to help you, right?"

Colin seemed satisfied by that answer, but his look told Twilight that he was surprised by how sudden her response was. "Yeah. You're right," he said, going back to his spot and sitting down.

' _Stupid,'_ Twilight thought. _'Careless. Do yourself a favour, Twi; be just a tad more careful.'_

Colin picked up the bestiary he'd been reading, and continued reading through an article about some strange creature called a Cockatrice. Apparently they had a magic gaze of death that could petrify an opponent, turning them to stone. He could only imagine a human facing down that.

Wouldn't go well, he assumed.

* * *

"Two threes, three fives, one six."

"Four twos, two ones."

"Liar."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I think your lyin' too!"

With that, James and Buddy lifted their cups, revealing the dice lying on the deck of the train car. James had what he'd said he had; two threes, a six, and three fives. Buddy, on the other hand, did not; he had a two, a five, a four and three sixes. Grumbling his frustration, Buddy slid the ten bits he'd bet over to James.

"Don't get too salty, pal," he told him. "You still have the most winnings right now. Besides," he reminded, "there's still gold to be had in the jungle."

That seemed to soften him up a bit.

Fortunately, sneaking onto the train was not as difficult as James had originally predicted. After a short foray into town, James had managed to steal a lengthy bundle of rope from someone's shed. He'd hoped to find some storm matches as well, as the damp rainforest would likely warrant it as opposed to the strike-anywhere boxes he typically carried as firestarters, but no such luck. Before long the train came by, and his theory of the trains carrying military materiel was correct; this time the transport was specifically troops, not just guards, but hired workers to aid in the search and any possible excavation that would be needed. There were no equipment cars, which James took as a bad omen. It could just be coincidence, but if the Equestrians had stopped sending materiel to their dig site that would only mean that they're well enough ahead in the game as to not warrant any further requisition of resources. Instead, he and Buddy had to scamper up to the trailing caboose, the farthest car from the enemy presence, and hide under tarped crates that had been stacked there. However, once they were far from the prying eyes of civilization and saw only the sky above, the rails behind and the canyon on either side, the human-dog thief duo felt comfortable enough to just sit on the back porch of the caboose and pass the time.

"So," Buddy finally asked, "where are you gonna take the shard once you've got it?"

James shrugged. "Could throw them through a loop and bury it somewhere else in the jungle." He lifted his dice-filled cup, rattled it, and slammed it down on the deck as Buddy did the same.

"Seems a bit risky though, yeah?" Buddy asked as he tilted his cup back to peek at his dice.

"Hmm. Two sixes, two twos, a four and a one."

"Four ones, a five and a three."

James studied his colleague. "You're lying," he concluded.

"Yeah?" Buddy grinned as the two lifted their cups.

James nodded. "Huh. You weren't lying. Anyway, what I was going to say was," and he slid two ten-piece gold bags across to Buddy, "that, the way I see it, the Spears aren't too bright. But, I suppose you're right, it does seem a bit obvious. Say, how's about we go out for another fishing trip, just you and I? We'll get home from this little escapade, gather up the shards, and toss them all in the ocean." He sighed. "I probably should have done that when I had the chance."

The two continued their game as Buddy thought up a response for that. "All in," he betted, pushing up his bags, forty gold in all.

"You're on," James replied, pushing in his remaining thirty-gold's-worth bags as the two slammed their cups down one last time.

"I was going to say," Buddy finally told him, "That yeah, maybe you should've tossed them overboard that night. It was too bad though that, if I remember it correctly, you said you had them hidden back at one of your base camps or whatever?"

"Yeah."

"But let's look at it this way; if you just threw 'em all into the sea, who's to say somebody won't go fishing for them? I say you should scatter them all over the place, like you was going to do. Or, better yet, keep 'em. After all, you got that sword of yours tucked away back under that rock in the plains; why not use the other shards too? Make, I don't know, a vest or shield or something…"

"No," James replied. "Buddy, these shards, this metal? It's _dangerous._ Yeah, it's the bane of Equestrian existence, and if I wanted to, reforging the metal into something of use could make me effectively immune to magic, something that'd probably make a lot of higher ups in Canterlot very nervous. But just having them around makes it possible for… that _thing_ to come back. I told myself I would never let Ophidian corrupt this world like he did to mine. And I don't know if I can destroy them… so I've got to hide them."

There was another long silence before Buddy decided to change the subject.

"When's our stop, by the way?"

James looked around, checking the back window to see if there was anyone approaching before leaning around the side of the caboose and surveying the canyon. "I'd say it's coming up," he said. "So let's get this last game over with and hop off."

"Gotcha. Three fours, three fives."

"One six, three ones, two threes."

James studied Buddy's expression. He had a good poker face. And yet, there was that feeling again, like something stepping on his grave, something feeling off.

"Liar."

Lo and behold, the human and the dog lifted their cups, and James won the pot. Once the two had gathered up their little game, they waited until there was a space of relatively soft ground between them and the chasm walls, tuck and rolled off the train, and scaled the canyon on goat paths.

And just like that, with the railway behind them, the pair had entered the Forbidden Jungle.

* * *

In many ways, the Forbidden Jungle was much worse than the Everfree could ever manage.

First and foremost, it was uncharted territory to James; he'd never ended up here before, but he had heard stories of it. Apparently there was also a series of books set here regarding an explorer of some notoriety named Daring Do. If James saw _her_ at some point, alongside all the other dangerous monsters and soldiers, he might have to consider just letting the Equestrians have their damn prize—all those combined forces would bring a metaphorically sweltering amount of heat. And speaking of heat, it was as muggy as James had expected a rainforest would be and then some; the canopy was similar to the Everfree's, with shafts of light filtering through the thick foliage solid enough that James though hee could touch them. Vines and tough roots hindered the advance of him and Buddy, who was always a few steps behind him, and no matter where the two of them went, the swarms of insects and the stink of something James would rather not identify was inescapable.

"You know," Buddy said absentmindedly as he trailed behind, "Maybe I should've made sure my shots were up to date before coming here."

James was too busy slashing through the underbrush to answer him for a few moments. Because of his fear of losing the Spellbane Sword to the Equestrians, he had left it at his halfway house in favour of a heavy-tipped machete, which did better at hacking apart the thick flora anyway.

"Least you get shots," James grunted as he swung the machete down once more, chopping through six vines in one stroke. "I have to just deal with the diseases."

And so it went on like that for hours; never pausing for rest save at a small freshwater pool to drink, James and Buddy marched through the jungle, hacking as they went. The skies above began to darken, and James figured that they'd have to consider setting up camp somehow when it got too dark to see. He hoped they'd find the dig site before then. Onward the two traveled, for as long as James could put off Buddy's protests, until finally the area became so dark that it was difficult to see past ten metres ahead. Grimly accepting that they'd have to deal with the jungle and the beasts that came out to hunt for the night, James was about to decide to set up a campsite when…

"Buddy," he asked, "is it my imagination, or do you hear something?"

Buddy paused, his far more adequate hearing trying to pick something out over the annoying buzz of flies and the dwindling twitters of tropical birds. "I hear something," he confirmed. "It… sounds like…"

"Voices," James finished for him. "We're close. The dig site has to be somewhere nearby."

With that, James was moving quickly ahead, Buddy hollering at him to hold on.

" _Shhh!"_ James hissed back at him. "Will you _shut up_ and follow me? If we're hearing voices that means it can't be far off, and every sentry in the area will hear your yelling!"

Reluctantly, Buddy followed behind, and eventually the two of them found a brightness at the edge of the treeline where the voices were coming from. When the pair reached the divide between where the jungle ended and the bare earth began, James crept to the very edge and, hiding behind a large fern, brushed aside the leaves to get a look at the dig site. The sun was still setting, which cast long, solid shadows on the ground, but the size of the site, and its location, made things all too clear to James what they were dealing with.

When the Spellbane Shards came back down from the sky and landed, they hit with the impact of a small meteor, with force enough to bury themselves deep in the earth. Usually it took weeks to find the shards and days to dig them back up. As it turned out, this shard had landed amidst the ruins of some kind of temple complex. A massive ziggurat pyramid dominated the site, towering over the excavation as it likely did in ancient times when it was a monument of worship to whatever long-lost culture built it. Around the pyramid was a group of unearthed structures, likely tombs extending from the pyramid itself. In the distance, behind the pyramid, James could make out a river rushing past. But most importantly were the more recent structures built on and about the dig. James retrieved a spyglass from his backpack and took a closer look.

All over the area was swarming with a myriad of workers and troops. Ponies, Griffons, and even a few Dogs, likely volunteers or hired from civilian contractors, milled about the torch-lit site, erecting wooden scaffolding and ramps to scale the structure and working at the grounds with picks, shovels and hammers. A sizeable pit had been dug to hold the excess rocks and dirt dug up, with carts carrying off any detritus on recently-laid track to be added to the heap. Tents had been put up all around the area for the workers to sleep in whenever their shifts ended, and guardsponies and griffons in similar battledress marched about the site, supervising the work. There had to have been hundreds of them; not the best odds, but James would have to take them.

Barely aware of Buddy's presence right next to him, James shifted his gaze up to the ziggurat. Most of the action was on the ground, but on the higher level there was a particularly large tent, which was most likely the headquarters for the guard command and mining prefect. And at the edge of that platform, looking down on the scene, were a group of individuals. Gladeshine, in his hooded cloak, the shadows covering his features, a crossbow strapped to his back. One of Thundershield's commanders, forgoing the typical golden hoplite armour for the more conservative and protective iron plate that was standard-issue among Thundershield's troops. A Griffon in a hardhat. And lastly a trio of Dogs whom James had seen before on wanted posters not too much unlike his.

"Diamond Dogs," James muttered. He held the spyglass up so Buddy could look into it. "Am I right, or is the heat getting to me?"

Buddy took a moment to look before answering. "I can't say I've ever met them in person," he said, "but that looks like the spitting image of their warrant posters. Yeah, I'd say that's them."

James grunted. It didn't take much insight to know that Thundershield had hired the thuggish slavers under Celestia's nose; the Princess wouldn't have allowed it if she knew. James collapsed the spyglass and tucked it away.

"Alright, it's still twilight out," he explained, shifting so he was facing Buddy. "So our best bet is to wait until nightfall. Now, considering that these jokers are still here, I'd say that—"

James's plan was cut off mid-sentence by a loud roaring from within the encampment. Everyone, including the workers, seemed to be surprised by it, and for a terrifying moment James thought it had come from behind them. Instead, from the edge of the clearing a massive group of about fifty guardsponies and griffons armed with ten-foot pikes dragged a massive beast by heavy steel chains. The creature looked like some kind of perverse humanoid goat, with massive horns and a single cycloptic eye stared out from its forehead. Gold jewellery was banded around the creature's arms and horns, rings were worn on its fingers and gold was woven into its ragged hair.

"Woah," Buddy breathed. "That… looks like—"

"An Arimasti," James cut him off. "Makes sense; the map I have of Equestria puts their turf right across from the jungle."

"But then why is it so far from home?" Buddy questioned. Below, the creature let out another enraged roar and flung back its arm, sending the troops on one chain reeling. As the guards prodded at the Arimasti with their spears to keep it in line as it was secured, James answered him.

"If I had to venture a guess? The shard. It's valuable, and this Arimasti's greed draws it to it like a moth to a lit candle. Now, maybe it came here of its own accord and just so happened to be captured, or maybe the troops there captured it in the hopes of using it like a sniffer dog—no offense—to find the shard. Either way, it's bad news."

"None taken," Buddy replied. "Okay, so, now that we have all that info down, what's that plan you was talking about?"

James crawled back into the underbrush, Buddy following suit. "We wait until nightfall," he told him. "We go into camp and find out what they've got so far in the means of progress. If the shard's been recovered, we'll get our greasy mitts on it."

"And then?"

James stood then, looking down on the site from the concealing canopy.

"And then, my good Buddy," he said, "we unchain our newfound distraction to wreak havoc and haul ass back up north."


	11. Chapter 10

When the sun finally set completely, leaving the moon to make its voyage through the sky, James and Buddy started down towards the dig site under cover of darkness. When the two reached the edge, nearing the brightly lit area, James ducked behind a rock alongside his partner, taking the time to open up his pack and take inventory of what they had.

"Alright, we've got rope, matches, a map, a spyglass, rations and two… three sticks of dynamite," he assessed. "There are dogs in this workforce, so I'm willing to bet that it wouldn't go amiss if you decided to pick up someone's work shift."

Buddy nodded. "So, what am I going to do?"

"Simple. You see that tent over there?" James instructed, gesturing to a large tent nearby.

"Looks like one of the tents for the workers to sleep in."

"That's because it is. I want you to go around that tent and wait out of sight. Any minute now they're going to signal the workers to switch shifts; when that happens, you're going to slip into the group and act natural. Find out what they know thus far, and see if you can pick up some crosstalk about the shard. And if anything exciting happens, if anyone digs up something interesting, sneak off and let me know."

"Sounds like a plan, but what're you gonna do while I'm off playing construction worker?"

James looked past the stone, peering into the complex. "What else do you know me for? I'm going to do something risky. Look, if things get tense, don't hesitate to play things off like you were always there, okay? I'm going to get a closer look at the command tent, see if there's anything they might know about the goings-on at Canterlot."

"That's going to lead to nothing but trouble, James," Buddy warned.

"Maybe. Actually, probably. But… I don't know, it's just…" James decided to be frank with him. "With what you told me the other day, about what you overheard with Thundershield. I need to know what that was about. I've been getting this sinking feeling since we left for the Jungle, and I'm hoping that it's nothing of any importance, but if it is… I need to know."

Buddy nodded. "I understand ya, pal. Just do me a favour?"

"Yeah?"

The dog gave a sly smile.

"Try not to get yerself killed."

James gave a smile back. "Likewise," he said, before the two of them parted ways.

* * *

"…Our work quota is proceeding as planned," the Griffon prefect was explaining. "For now we have teams at seven different dig sites across the excavation, however none of them have had any luck in finding the shard."

Gladeshine, who had been listening intently to the report, tossed back the last of his cider. His cloak was thin, meant more to shake off the rain, but even that had been too much for the muggy weather. It currently hung off a rack placed at the doorway to their lamp-lit tent, and Gladeshine felt naked without it. His tail swished upwards to swat a mosquito on his flank. In the corner of the tent, next to his cot, Ollie slept upright on his perch.

"And what about the pyramid?" he asked the prefect. "Any progress on that?"

In response, the prefect only shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "We… we've uncovered six external chambers, and the archeologist we have on this project has identified roughly three of them as burial chambers for servants. Which, um, likely means that the pyramid is a tomb as we've guessed. We haven't made any progress on the pyramid's interior yet—"

"And why is that?" the guardspony standing next to the tent opening questioned. Her name was Razorplume; she was among Thundershield's more adept troops, and had been sent alongside Gladeshine to act as the official commander and, though Thundershield would never say it aloud, to keep an eye on him. Gladeshine didn't like her all that much; the mare reeked of entitlement and at times was more than a little demanding.

"W-well," the prefect stammered, "the workers are, well, concerned. And, if I may, sir—miss—ma'am, uhm…"

"Well?" Razorplume insisted.

"They're… superstitious, miss," he continued. "As I've said before, our archeologist believes that this place is a burial complex, and he agrees, it likely won't be safe for the workers to go into the temple blind. The people who built this place likely rigged it with traps. A good number of the workers are also… afraid of the tomb, miss. They won't go near the openings leading under the pyramid; talk around the camp is curses, rumors, ancient hokum and such to you, I bet. Which is… well, miss, it brings me to why I came to you two."

"You're here to requisition some of our troops," Gladeshine guessed. "You want them to scout out the tomb for traps."

The prefect was busy casting nervous glances at Razorplume. Gladeshine wasn't exactly present for most of the operation, favouring to stay behind in the tent and coordinate while the mare was down in the camp acting as overseer, and it didn't take much to guess that she had gone hard on him.

"Denied," she responded flatly.

"But, the tomb is—"

The mare turned on him. "Did I hear you say 'but', prefect? Was that what I heard? Because I believe I made it clear to you not to question me or anyone else in this command tent. You say your more superstitious workers don't want to go into that pyramid? Fine; gather up what few workers you have with some actual _courage_ and send them in instead!"

Gladeshine only looked on at Razorplume as she slowly closed the short distance between herself and the prefect. This poor griffon had evidently felt the brunt of her aggression before, and was rightfully reluctant to ask for anything. In the back of his mind, Gladeshine noted that she seemed a bit more irritable than she normally was.

When she was roughly three feet from the prefect Gladeshine finally decided to end the prefect's suffering. "Enough, Razorplume," he warned.

Disregarding him, Razorplume continued to grill the prefect. "I want the complex scoped out, prefect. If you can't search the entire area tonight, so be it, but you and your men are to _get it done_ between now and the next sunset. Am I clear on _that?"_

"Y-yes, commander," the prefect replied. "I will get on it immediately."

Before he could rush out, Gladeshine stopped him.

"Prefect?" he called.

"Yes?"

"We're willing to reassign three men to your crew," he told him, ignoring the infuriated and dangerous look Razorplume was giving him, "but we will spare no more than that."

The prefect seemed a bit more at-ease with that reassurance. "Thank you, sir. You won't regret your decision." And before the guardspony could argue, he was gone.

Without anyone else to loose her anger on, Razorplume turned her attention to Gladeshine. "You. You're not in any position to give orders. In case you've forgotten, as far as the government is concerned, you don't exist; you aren't here, and you in no way are allowed to _undermine me!"_

"You're in a mood," Gladeshine replied calmly. "More so than usual, even for you. What's wrong? Run out of bug spray?" A rarely-seen grin played across his mouth.

Razorplume gritted her teeth. "You are very, _very_ lucky that Thundershield decides to keep you around," she told him. "Because if I were in charge of this company, you'd have been removed long ago."

"It's a good thing," he remarked in turn, "that you're not in charge, then. Isn't it?"

Razorplume stepped forward then, but just before the two could start beating the tar from one another, one of the perimeter guards burst into the tent. Giving a hasty salute, the guardspony stood at attention, obviously waiting for them to give him the go-ahead to report. Razorplume glared at Gladeshine one last time and turned towards the scout.

"Yes, what is it?" she snapped.

"Commander," the scout replied, "I've been sent here by the Diamond Dogs. They wanted me to inform you that dig teams four, seven and one have all hit bedrock with no sign of the shard, and the remaining dig sites are getting close to that level as well without any luck. They believe that the shard is inside the temple complex somewhere."

"We've already sent teams inside the pyramid," Razorplume told the scout. "They believe that the complex is booby-trapped; I won't have anyone else inside that temple without my permission, is that understood?"

"Uh…" the scout seemed discomforted by that.

"What? What is it, soldier, spit it out!"

"Uh, I acknowledge your command, sir," the scout explained, "but, the Dogs have already gone in. They've also told me to inform you that they've left overall command of the dig teams to the prefect while they take charge of the exploration group."

Razorplume let out a sound of frustration. "Looter scumbags!" she roared. "I should've known they'd go in there looking for riches!" she turned to Gladeshine. "I'll remind you of the chain of command later," she growled at him. "For now, you're with me."

Without waiting for Gladeshine to protest, Razorplume galloped out of the tent and took to the air, diving downward to the excavation. Gladeshine was about to follow suit when the scout coughed at him. His gaze settled on the colt.

"There something else you need to add?"

"Actually, yes, sir." The scout didn't look pleased. "One of our sentries went missing ten minutes ago. He was last spotted on the south edge of the camp running routine patrol when he vanished."

Gladeshine's heart skipped a beat. "Aside from the Arimasti," he asked, "were there any other disturbances logged this evening?"

"No, sir, there were not—"

"Put the site on lock down," Gladeshine commanded him immediately. "Call the dig teams in, do a headcount of all personnel. If there are any unaccounted for, you're to let me know immediately; if any so happen to act suspiciously or have falsified work information, bring them to me. And scout?"

"Yes?"

"Sound the alarm. James Alistair is in the vicinity."

* * *

Gladeshine and the Equestrian scout burst from the command tent, the pegasus unfurling his wings and catapulting himself downwards while the unicorn bolted down the steps of the ziggurat, his falcon in tow. In the distance, a gong began to sound as soldiers scrambled to high-alert and workers were led from their posts to their living quarters. It was a drilled move; the workers get out of the way in a hold-and-secure, while the fighters comb the area.

Too bad James wasn't in the area they were combing.

The thief had, as promised, snuck up to the command tent while the excavation was preoccupied. He'd had to sneak around the pyramid, towards the river behind it where the work force had already cleared up their dig sites and only the sentinels patrolling the area were left. The guard he took out was relatively okay; they'd find him, unconscious and strung up from a tree branch by vines, any minute now. The ten-minute gap he had before they caught wind of the disappearance was ample time for James to get up the south side of the step-pyramid where the security had a blind spot.

' _Heh. Never trust sellswords to do a military man's job,'_ James thought.

It was partly by coincidence that James had rigged the alarm, partly by design. He wanted to even the odds a bit; by setting them off, James forced them to scatter into units to go off looking for him, some heading to the fringe of the jungle, others remaining to roam about the compound. It still wasn't nearly enough to stack the deck in his favour, but at least they weren't all clustered together down there anymore. Quickly proceeding around the tent and inside, James was thankful to find it empty. The commanding officers here had seen fit to set up a map of the temple grounds with the dig sites, living quarters, resources and field-barracks all marked out. Books and papers had been spread across a small desk set against the wall of the tent, while the cots of Gladeshine and the other commander were set at the opposite end with their personal baggage placed at the foot of each one. James didn't think going through their clothes and toiletries would be of any use, so he opted for the desk.

The papers were mostly unremarkable—statistics about the excavation, personal notes, archeological findings, requisition form papers. The books were also not much worth noting; a light novel, a journal filled with some Razorplume lady's whiny angst about being hot and tired and about Thundershield wasting her talents, a scrapbook filled with vacation photos. Just when James was about to give up on finding anything actually useful, a few interesting things turned up.

First, James found a list of the resources and equipment that had been sent down to this mudhole. Skimming through it, he saw a large amount of shovels, picks, sledgehammers, and more delicate tools for the temple's fragile architecture. Metal track pieces, wooden beams, tent poles, rope… but as always, something caught his eye. Near the bottom of the list was written, _'Industrial dynamite, six crates; CAUTION! HIGH EXPLOSIVE: HANDLE WITH CARE!'_ That would most definitely come in handy later on. That good news was sullied, however, when James picked up the other book. It was a logbook detailing everyone who had been employed here; James's heart crawled into his throat as he realized that Buddy was still down there, likely waiting it out as the troops called a headcount. They'd inevitably catch him, and James couldn't allow that to happen; Buddy trusted him to get them in and out okay, and damned if he'd let him down.

James had come to expect things getting steadily worse. And, of course, if he ever tempted the skein of fate, it would most definitely happen. But what he didn't expect was things going from bad to the _very worst of the bad._

As he turned to leave and cook up a plan to pull Buddy's mangy tail out of the fire, James was taking note of where the supplies were kept when something caught the corner of his eye. Looking down at the desk, he noticed a very thin drawer, likely for keeping stationary and ink in. Curious, he slid it open and saw a letter. Almost completely finished, aside from the signature and well-wishes, the letter had been made out to Thundershield; James picked it up and carefully read it…

* * *

' _Well. Ain't this the darndest luck I've ever had.'_

Buddy was unaware of the red alert topside up until about three minutes ago. Apparently the guards had just caught whiff of what was going down up there, what with James running amok. He could only imagine what he'd done to get them on edge this fast. It made Buddy happy he was where he was, because they would've caught on to him, too, if he was stuck in the worker's tents waiting for his name to not get called.

It was actually pretty stupidly simple, in all honesty. Buddy had realized that there would be no dice on the aboveground holes, so when the mining prefect started gathering up teams of volunteers to go down into the pyramid to look for the shard, he just walked up and called himself 'Max'. Lucky for him, the prefect bought into his bluff, since there were eleven different 'Maxes' on site, and when the Diamond Dogs took over unexpectedly, no doubt looking to find a little extra side bonus for their troubles, they didn't look twice at him and likely didn't care one way or the other. Not so lucky for him, however, the procession was constantly halted for minutes on end when the three guardsponies sent in to act as security went to dismantling the booby-traps. One of the poor saps had to be carted back out, even; he had the misfortune of getting a dart from an arrow trap lodged in his rear end, and Buddy almost blew his cover by busting out laughing.

Now, though, he felt like his cover was about to be blown more than ever. Because this time the reason they'd stopped was because the two Pony head honchos, Gladeshine and some other lady, were down here arguing with the Dogs.

Hanging back from the rest of the group, his back planted firmly to the wall, Buddy sat there and watched as the altercation took off. It was a good thing the rest of the team was busy gawking at the spectacle, because all of a sudden, something clasped around his mouth, wrapped around his chest, and dragged him, clawing for his life and screaming through the muffled gag, into the darkness of the mossy, wet stone corridor behind them. Buddy was legitimately afraid for his life; he wasn't exactly the superstitious type, but that didn't mean he didn't change his opinions when presented with new evidence, especially when that evidence was about to kill him. His struggling turned into annoyance when he realized who had him.

" _Shut up, muttly,"_ James hissed. _"It goes double this time."_

When he let go of Buddy, the dog didn't scream, but he did whisper quite sharply. "Are you out of your mind!?" he hissed back. "I thought you were some mummy or something!"

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry to cut this little vacation short," James whispered, "but it's high time we put foot to dirt and got out of here."

Buddy stared suspiciously at him. Maybe it was just the low light, but his human pal looked paler than usual. "Why?" he asked quizzically. "You get your hands on that shard you were lookin' for after all?"

"No." James responded quickly, casting a glance around the corner at the arguing group and back down the corridor. "Forget the shard. Forget the shard, forget the gold, we need to get out of here. _Now."_

If Buddy wasn't shocked and worried before, he certainly was now. "What? What's wrong? What happened up there?"

"Never mind what happened!" James shot back. "Look, something came up. Something very, very important to me. I didn't want to leave you here to fend for yourself, so I came down here to get you out. Now I know you were here in the first place looking for gold, and I'm sorry, but we need to get back to civilization as soon as possible. Trust me on this, man, I wouldn't lie to you about something like this!"

Before Buddy could answer, Gladeshine's voice ordered the group to fall in. Buddy looked back at the hall, and to James, considering whether two more minutes down here was worth it.

"Buddy," James said. "Please."

"Hey."

James was concealed in the shadows of the temple's tight-knit corridors, which was lucky for about three seconds as the worker who'd turned the corner looking for stragglers fixed his attention on Buddy.

"You're… Max, right?" he asked. "What are you doing, man? The group's gone down that way. Who are you…"

The colt suddenly turned ashen-faced as he finally noticed the human crouching in the shadows. Then he skittered, slipped and fell on his belly, scrabbled to his hooves and bolted down the hall calling for help.

' _Damn,'_ was all James thought.

"Alright," Buddy said. "Now we can get going."

* * *

Bursting out of the opening together, the man and dog duo tore like hell across the complex, not caring who saw them at this point. They were tailed almost immediately by a flurry of crossbow quarrels, just after which followed Gladeshine, his cloak whipping in the breeze, Razorplume and the two guardsponies, and the workers alongside a trio of very confused Diamond Dogs. Since the opening to the tunnel was in a pit, James and Buddy went clambering up the scaffolding first, the human grabbing a torch from a sconce nearby and setting the wooden structure ablaze to slow their pursuit. It didn't work well, but it bought them the two seconds to get across the area before the rest of the guards shook off the surprise.

"So, Al," Buddy asked sarcastically, "how're we getting out of this one?"

In response, James drew his machete with a satisfying ringing sound. "The way I'm accustomed to, old pal."

"That being?"

"Not easily."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

The next two minutes were nothing but motion, chaos and fighting. James set fire to worker's tents, causing the confused and panicked miners to burst into the area and stampede, separating and bogging down the guards and keeping them from encircling the two or getting into formation. Every so often, a griffon or pegasus would cut James off; they were met by his blade, his torch or the fists wrapped around them.

"Where the hell are we going!?" Buddy hollered above the noise.

"Trust me, contrary to popular belief I know exactly what I'm doing," was all James said to that.

The pair found their way to where James wanted to be. All hell had broken loose; the workers were bolting every which-way, the guards were split between corralling them and pursuing James, Razorplume and Gladeshine were right on their heels, and somehow the Arimasti had broken loose in the chaos and was rampaging through the camp.

And James _lived for it._

Buddy and James tore into the tent that James had been searching for in the tumult; the supply tent. Before anything else could surprise them, James was cracking open one of the dynamite crates and loading his pack with ten of them.

"Really!?" Buddy was yelling at him. "We came all this way to start looting NOW!?"

"Awh, shut up, mutt!" James yelled back absentmindedly. "Here, hold this," he said, handing him his pack, and he cracked open a keg of blasting powder in the opposite corner of the tent and dropped the torch. The powder poured out on the ground, slowly piling up…

"Thanks," James said, grabbing the bag from Buddy, "now run."

And the two exited the tent to be met by Razorplume's speartip and Gladeshine's crossbow hovering in midair.

"Going somewhere?" The guardsmare smirked.

"Well, yes, actually, we were just going past you," James replied nonchalantly.

"Change of plans," Gladeshine remarked.

"Alright. Okay." And James crouched down and set his blade on the ground, palming a weighty stone as he came back up. Before either one could react, he whipped the rock overhead past the both of them. As James watched, the stone sailed through the air and hit its mark.

Razorplume smirked wider after that. "What was that? What, is something wrong with your depth perception?"

James grinned back. "No. But I think your friend over there has something to say about my aim."

Needless to say, the sudden roar of rage from the Arimasti behind them wiped the look off of Razorplume's face really quickly.

James kicked his blade back into his hand as the charging footsteps of the monster got closer, and whipped the blade upward into the spear leveled at his chest, sending it upwards. He kicked away the crossbow in one fluid motion and then he and Buddy were gone like a shot, sprinting as fast as they could go to put as much distance between them and the supply tent before it…

 **BOOM!**

The sound was ear-splitting, and even at this distance James, Buddy, Gladeshine, Razorplume, the scattering workers and even the Arimasti were thrown from their feet as a roiling fireball thundered upwards into the skies. Ears ringing, debris raining around him, and his balance not quite just re-established, James wobbled back to his feet and dragged Buddy up with him and the two hobbled off to the treeline. As their equilibrium came back, that hobble turned into a run which turned into a sprint one again, and before they knew it the camp, the din of shouting, the roaring of fire and an enraged Arimasti, and the calls for order from the disarrayed and shaken guards as the shard excavation site collapsed into bedlam, was far behind them. And yet as the darkness closed in and the two of them kept on trucking, there was only one single thing on his mind; the contents of that letter, turning his sweat cold and chilling him to the bone.

And they ran.

* * *

 _Thundershield,_

 _I am sending this message to you using Ollie as a carrier bird, so it should be more than safe; believe me, I've trusted this falcon with my life before, he won't slip up. I am writing to express my concern regarding this new human in Equestria, and whether he'll be any trouble. From what you've told me, he seems like a hoof-full, and I think we should keep an eye on him._

 _I'm wondering if Celestia is making the right choice. Not that I doubt our great leader's skills and experience, but wouldn't he be infinitely safer and out of trouble if we locked him in a cell? Tartarus below, we don't know what to do with just_ one _of him; who knows what amount of havoc_ two _can cause. I personally don't want to have to chase this one down as well._

 _You need to try and convince Celestia against the decision she's made. If Alistair finds out about him, you and I both know there'll be no stopping the man from reaching him. There's only one place we know he won't go; that's Canterlot. More importantly, you and I need to discuss a slight payment change for putting me in this rotten cesspool with your ego-tripping grunt._

 _Write back to me as soon as you can._


	12. Chapter 11

_I've lost track of how long we ran for._

 _It's daylight out right now; good. That makes it safe for us to press on. Last night there was no stopping. Or maybe there was, and I just was too caught up to realize it. Or maybe we kept on going until the sun came up. I don't know; what I do know is that it's been hours, and we haven't stopped to rest until now. As I write this, Buddy is four feet away from me, on his side, catching his breath. We've already drained our water reserves, and there's no fresh pools in sight. Our blind running has put the distance between us and the Equestrian excavation, enough to say that we've escaped them this time around, but there's no way we can take the trains back to civilization the same way we got here, if we find the tracks again at all; the downside to our no doubt record-setting exit is that we've become slightly… lost._

 _And the only reason I care about all this is because of what I've just learned._

 _I haven't told Buddy yet. I have no idea how I'm going to tell Lyra and Bon Bon. And maybe keeping all this to myself is for the better, at least for now. I can barely believe it myself; it isn't that I've ever doubted there being more humans in existence, quite the opposite really. It's just… God, I'm paranoid. I've been paranoid before, but this?_

 _This is sheer bloody panic. And fury._

 _The Spellbane Shards were the be-all-end-all of interdimensional transit for Ophidian and his forces; this isn't supposed to happen if the Shards are kept scattered and buried. If after all that they can still zap people from one side of the looking glass to the other, then what the hell have I been doing this whole time!?_

 _For all I know this could very well be a trap. Gladeshine's proven to be smart, and behind Thundershield's sabre-rattling hotheadedness there's a method to his madness. They could have planted that letter knowing that I'd take the bait and go looking for someone that isn't there, and while I've got my eyes on the blank space they blindside me. It's always the punch you don't see coming that ends up putting you on the mat. But I can't help it. I have to get back to civilization. I have to find my way into Canterlot, the one place I've known for as long as I've been here that I just can't go._

 _I have to know._

* * *

The heat of the midday sun came down, shining bright over the jungle canopy. The light didn't filter through very well beyond the tall trees, but the heat got through quite well, enough to soak the already exhausted James and the panting, straggling Buddy with sweat. They'd managed to go for almost twenty-four hours without rest or sleep; James was accustomed to going for longer on a really bad day, but Buddy wasn't, and he knew that at some point they'd have to find a place to sleep through the night. Luckily they'd managed to find another river from which they refilled their water supply, but their food rations were running low and before long James knew they'd be lost and alone to fend off the nocturnal monsters that came out to play at night. He couldn't risk another attack, not while they were vulnerable like this.

Before long, James told Buddy to stay put, and began to scale one of the taller trees in the jungle. He needed to get a vantage point to see where everything was, and the only way of doing that was to get up high. It wasn't easy; twice James almost lost his grip on the slippery trunk and fell, which if it didn't kill him would have at least broken bones and slowed them down even more, but eventually the human managed to climb to the top and get a view of his surroundings.

Behind their position, miles to the south, a thick column of smoke from James's not-so-subtle escape marked the location of the archeological excavation site. That was a good sign, as it meant he and Buddy were heading northward. The smoke had turned from black to white, meaning that the fires had been put out; James could only guess the amount of devastation he'd wrought on the place between the explosion, the rampaging monster and the general panic last night. Using the site as a marker, James turned west towards where the tracks would be and saw only the canopy extending to the horizon. Turning east James could just barely see the coastline of the Celestial Sea, but going there would only force them to follow the coast the long way around without a boat, and that would do nothing but consume time. Finally James turned north, towards their closest option. He didn't like it.

Beyond them stretched the Badlands; there were no settlements there. No water, no food with the exception of carrion and the scavengers that fed on it. Aside from that it was all rock and sand, and with the food they had, James and Buddy wouldn't last very long—

There it was. James had been expecting it for quite some time now. The screech of a falcon. That damn bird of Gladeshine's was trying to pick up their trail!

Without a moment's hesitation, James slid as carefully as he could down the tropical tree and eventually made it down to soft ground and Buddy waiting absentmindedly, sitting on his haunches.

"So, what did you see up there?" he asked.

"Poor conditions all around," James replied. "Our closest route to civilization is through the Badlands. Shouldn't take much more walking to get there, but we'll be exposed to the elements and skyward surveillance for the duration of our trip, and we're low on provisions."

"So we go around?"

"No; it would take us too long. We have to go through. It may take us maybe two days to push through, but we'd have to be traveling light without any time to rest."

Looking at his friend closely, James realized just how bone-tired Buddy was. He felt it too, but there had been times that James forgot about how much endurance he had. "I can't keep up this pace, Al," he warned. "Not for two more days."

"You won't have to," James reassured him. "We'll go as far as the fringe between the Badlands and the Jungle; there we'll have enough cover with the least possibility of attack. Then we set up camp and sleep off the exhaustion. But once we're awake, it's going to be a nonstop march until we reach Dodge Junction. That good with you?"

Buddy got unsteadily to his feet. "Sweet enough deal for me, James."

"Good. Make sure you've got as much water as you can carry; it's going to be a long trek."

And with that the dog and the human were back on track.

* * *

"He needs to pay. He has to pay _dearly_ for this."

Gladeshine was only half paying attention to Razorplume's furious seething, and as always he didn't care. His eyes were focused on the relief effort, the sad attempt by the workforce to pick themselves up and salvage what little they had left in the aftermath of Alistair's escape. The tracker would never have said it aloud of course, but from Alistair's perspective it was a job well done; the excavation would have to be delayed for another week as the message was relayed back to the Equestrian government, and the supplies lost were replaced and sent down here. While there were no casualties, thankfully, a good number of the personnel, workers and security alike, were injured in the confusion and would likewise have to be replaced with more able-bodied crewmen. The Arimasti that had been brought on-site was dead; the situation had come down to putting the creature down or letting it threaten the camp in its rampage, and besides, shrapnel from the explosion last night had let the beast grievously wounded anyway. Gladeshine cast a wayward glance at its body, covered in a tarp, before shifting his gaze to the still-smoking crater where the supply tent once stood and finally to the sky to scan for any sign of Ollie.

"Two weeks!" Razorplume was grumbling. "One to get reinforcements and fresh supplies, one to find that useless chunk of metal; two more weeks in this backwater, fly-infested armpit, because of that _maniac!"_

Gladeshine snorted. "This sort of thing is Alistair's M.O.; as long as he's aware of a Shard's location it's bound to happen at some point. What we need to know now is if he actually got his hands on this Shard."

"Who cares!?" Razorplume snapped back.

"The government," Gladeshine replied flatly. "Not to mention the sovereign. And the military. And Thundershield…."

In response, Razorplume spat on the ground. "What I'd give to go after him right now," she mused, half to herself. "Run him down and pay him back in full for every time he's humiliated us…."

"Alone?" the ranger scoffed. "Yeah, I can see that playing out well."

"You think I can't?" Razorplume challenged. She quickly added, "and no, not alone. What I mean is that, after all this guy's done, all the crimes he's committed, all the lives he's ended, and still Celestia wants him to stand trial. Shining Armour, Cadence, Luna, nigh on _all_ the higher-ups want to see him plead guilty. Nah, man; Thundershield has the right idea. We corner him, we put a blade in him… who's to say we weren't defending ourselves?"

"So we're murderers now?" Gladeshine shot back.

"Tch. What do you care, merc? The only reason you signed up was for the bounty Alistair would pull down."

"You know, for once I agree with you, Razorplume. Only there's one problem with your plan; the handbill I have in my pack doesn't say 'Dead or Alive' underneath where the reward is printed."

The guardsmare glared at him.

"Besides," Gladeshine continued, "I'm wondering what exactly Alistair is to _you._ What makes you so boiling-blood mad at him?"

"He killed Night Iron."

"Don't give me that drivel," Gladeshine shook his head. "You and I both know that's become nothing more than an excuse. Night Iron's death was tragic, yes, but by now we're just using it to justify our whole operation. Keep in mind, if Thundershield never used it as leverage to start this unit, we wouldn't be here now—"

"How dare you disrespect a colt's memory!" Razorplume screamed. A lot of workers suddenly stopped their cleanup to look up at the sudden noise. "What in Tartarus makes you think you know ANY of us!? What about the colts we've lost so far, huh!? Or that other bounty-hunter?" the guardsmare stared right into Gladeshine's eyes and added, "what about what happened in Tall Tale? You remember what he did there?"

Gladeshine fell silent at the mention of Tall Tale. He couldn't say that he knew exactly what happened there; only Alistair knew what really happened that night, and not only would he likely not talk about it, it was also likely nopony would listen. Coincidentally, the night after the incident was the night Gladeshine was approached for his services.

"Yeah," was all Razorplume grumbled in response.

The two of them were silent for a long time. Gladeshine drifted off for a while, losing track of how long he was standing there, until Ollie screeched above and broke him out of his head by landing on a rock nearby.

"You found him?" he asked the bird. Ollie just looked at him; the falcon couldn't speak, but Gladeshine had a workaround for that. Stretching out his mind, the ranger gently entered his pet's head, and recalled the sights he had seen while flying over the canopy of the Forbidden Jungle. It was a trick the two of them had been doing since the day he bought him; Gladeshine remembered that training the falcon to relax and willingly allow him to enter his mind went anything but smoothly. Ollie didn't like it too much, even now, and the unicorn couldn't blame him. Mind games, gaslighting, telepathic assault… those were arguably the most cruel and devious ways to extract information.

Nopony in their right mind would ever want it to happen to them.

It took an uncomfortable amount of minutes to find anything, but when Gladeshine was about to give up he noticed something. Near the end of his falcon's flight, the bird's exceptionally far eyesight managed to find him clinging to the top of a tree, no doubt trying to orient himself and find the best direction to travel to get back up north. Gladeshine broke contact with Ollie and turned to his associate.

"Ollie's found sight of Alistair, but you're not going to like it," he informed Razorplume. "He's on the border between the Forbidden Jungle and the Badlands."

"To the contrary, that's perfect," Razorplume replied. "Wide open spaces all around, nothing but sand and stone through those parts. We'll be able to track him from the skies."

"Track him, maybe, but catch up with him in time? He must have traveled sixty miles from here alone, and that's assuming he stopped to rest by now. You'd have to have someone capable of traveling far faster than any pegasus here to overtake him at this point. Unless you have the Wonderbolts or something along those lines on call, he's going to be long gone by the time we make it back to his last known location."

Razorplume drifted into thought at that point much like Gladeshine had a minute ago. "We could send word to Thundershield or the nearest garrison. Could have a blockade set up before Alistair gets through the pass at the edge of the Macintosh Hills."

"We both know Alistair; he'll only circumvent them, and then all we'll have accomplished would be to slow him down."

"Okay." At the moment, Razorplume had lost her hostile exterior, and began to wader back and forth, pacing the area as she tried to come up with a plan. "Okay, okay, okay," she muttered repeatedly. Suddenly, she straightened up. "I've got it! Here's what we do…"

* * *

The day had slipped away rather quickly, slowly giving way to a dark and chilly night. At the edge of the jungle, James sat with his back against a tree, waiting for Buddy to wake up. The wind coming up from the flat valley of the Badlands beyond ripped across the cliff leading downward, chilling James's face. Considering how the temperature in a desert dropped considerably during the night, the beginning of their exodus would likely be very harsh. But hey, at least it would prepare them for tomorrow. He was already rested well enough; Buddy had taken the second shift, allowing him a bit of rest during the dusk. Now, he could faintly hear the sounds of bugs, bats and nocturnal predators from the darkness behind him. He kept waiting tensely for something to turn up, but nothing did.

Deep down James wanted it to happen. Perhaps it was just an unfamiliarity with smooth sailing, but instinctively he saw going this far without a hitch could only mean trouble was coming up to bite him, hard, in the ass.

His head turned as he heard his accomplice finally stir and wake. "What time is it?" were his first coherent words upon getting to his paws.

"I haven't got a watch on me," James told him, "but I'd say around midnight, maybe. You need a few minutes before we depart?"

"Please." Buddy walked over and sat down next to James for a few minutes. "Hey, Al?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd we have to leave so quickly? You said it was important to you. If you don't mind me asking, that is."

James didn't answer immediately. He wondered if telling him about what he'd learned was the right thing to do at this point in time. Eventually he came to the conclusion that Buddy would learn about it eventually anyway, and James sighed.

"I found a letter in the camp," he explained. "In the command tent. It said the Equestrians… it said they found another human. Another person like me."

It took a moment for Buddy to process what James was saying. "Another human in Equestria? As in, another tall, lanky pale thing with fingers and apposable thumbs and a tuft of hair on their head and everything?"

"That would be what I said, Buddy."

Silence again for another moment. Then the dog smirked. "Another guy like you? Jeez, Al, they don't know what to do with just _one_ guy like you running around."

James couldn't help but smile grimly at that. One thing was for certain; if Buddy was right and this new guy was even an iota like he was, they'll no doubt be making the Equestrians' lives hell right now.

If this human existed, after all.

"Well," James informed him, "I'd say to take this news with a grain of salt. For all I know this letter could be a ruse; it mentioned that the human is or at least was at Canterlot. That'd mean I'd have to find some way in there to figure out the truth. That's an easy spot to set up a trap, Buddy, so I'll be taking a few precautions."

"Yeh," Buddy replied. "You do that, because as much as I've taken a likin' to ya, I'm not getting incarcerated in the capital."

The two chuckled gently before getting back on their feet and making their way down the cliffside into the windy desert below. The moment James's feet hit the red sand of the Badlands, a gust of wind sprayed sand in the air around him, causing him to zip up his jacket and pull his poncho up around his face and head. He only wished he had goggles to keep the sand from his eyes. When Buddy got down just behind him, James remembered something and turned to him.

"Hey," he said, his voice only slightly muffled by the mask around his nose and mouth, "I forgot to mention, I'm sorry for pulling you out of there when you seemed to be in reach of the gold at the temple."

Buddy stared up at him. "Think nothing of it."

"Well, actually," James added. "I did think of it. Which is why I swiped this." And he produced from the pocket of his jacket a fist-sized ruby and tossed it at the shocked Buddy's feet. "Found it on the way to you. Looks like one of the prefects in the worker's tents decided to take a little bonus on the sly. Figured I should pay you back somehow."

"I… I don't know what to say." Buddy looked up at him again. "Thank you."

"Yeah, and I'll give you my betting gold when we get out of here. You'll find more use out of it than I ever will, anyhow."

With that, the two were off, heading across the Badlands to the colder weather and the rumors of a new playmate.

* * *

The Yaket Range was more or less inhospitable, and the cold was intense. The winter did nothing to make it better, in fact it did the opposite, what with the constant snowstorms buffeting the mountains. Still, that wouldn't be much of a problem if the people stayed inside.

Too bad Prefect Granitehoof and his team had a job to do outside on this freezing rock.

It wasn't the cold that bothered him, really. His warm clothing did enough to block out the worst of the deathly chill. It was more just because having to be here on some stupid mining mission annoyed him. He supposed it could be worse; he could be sweltering down south in the Forbidden Jungle with his griffon counterpart, Prefect Honeydew. From what his friend's most recent letter told him, the lady in charge was a nightmare.

"So!" he yelled over the howling of the wind and the ringing of picks. "How's our progress been so far?"

The worker he'd phrased the question to turned to respond to him. "So far, so good, sir!" he explained. "We'll have the area carved out by tomorrow afternoon, at which point we can start extracting the minerals!"

"Good!" The Prefect replied. "The sooner we get this iron deposit to the steel mills in Manehattan, the sooner we can leave this iceberg!"

"Ah, typical Horse-Folk!" a gruff voice came from behind. Since the Equestrians had made peace with the Yaks, they'd taken to cementing their relationship by allowing them to accompany their mining teams on joint-missions; this way, the Equestrians could mine some of their resources and give half the turnout to them in return for letting them do so. The voice had come from a relatively young and small Yak named Sampson. He wasn't as omni-aggressive as other Yaks were, but that didn't mean he lacked a temper or a sense of humor. "Yaks are naturally attuned to the cold!"

"Yeah?" Granitehoof replied. "So you guys enjoy freezing?"

"What can we say?" Sampson yelled in response. "Freezing builds character!"

The three laughed, but just as Granitehoof was about to move on to inspect the next group of miners, the sky suddenly began to brighten in the south. Rapidly. A sound drummed up, quiet at first, but it grew with the faint light. The miners all collectively stopped at the same time to gawk at the spectacle, and eventually the light grew so bright that the workers had to screw their eyes shut or be blinded, and the roar blocked out all other noise. And then, just as quickly as it happened, all was quiet and still but for the howling, freezing wind.

"What in Celestia's name was _that?"_ Granitehoof could hear one of the miners call out. Similar sounds of skittishness began to crop up all over the site; even the Yaks on duty looked spooked.

"Alright," Granitehoof yelled. "ALRIGHT! Okay, listen up! This isn't cause for alarm, people! Now, I'm going to need volunteers to come with me! I think it landed not too far off!" And soon enough he and two other workers had found where they believed the meteor (at least, Granitehoof assumed it was a meteor) had hit.

Only problem was, there wasn't any damage like there was supposed to be from an impact like that.

"You're sure we're in the right place?" one of the workers asked.

"Well, that is, uh, no," Granitehoof stammered. "But this seems like the most likely place it would've hit. I don't understand; a meteor that size would have to leave a crater, or at least some kind of—"

"Prefect!" came a call from a nearby cliff. "Sir! You need to get over here! Better hurry!"

The prefect and the worker shared a brief glance before running over to the cliff's edge and looking down. There, laying on the ledge below, about twenty metres down…

"Oh my sun and moon above," Granitehoof breathed. He turned to his workers. "You two get back to the camp and call everyone in. And get a couple pegasi up here, with some rope; we're going to need them. And I want you to send a letter to the Crystal Empire requesting a security detail, _right now."_

"Right now?" the worker asked. "As in, _now_ now? Sir, with respect, it's almost one in the morning."

"I don't care what time it is," Granitehoof said to the colt. "The Princess needs to know about this."


	13. Chapter 12

Colin had been here now for about a week, but already the days had begun to speed by. Honestly, living here until Twilight found a way back home didn't really sound that bad.

The Princess of Friendship wasn't strict, but there were two rules she strongly enforced; the first was that Colin had a curfew, and that he couldn't stay up any longer than nine thirty at night. He felt that was somewhat childish, but decided it was reasonable when Twilight explained that if he wanted to get back home sooner, he needed to be well-rested so he could help her more effectively. The other rule was extremely simple; Colin was not, under any circumstances short of a fire or explosion, allowed to leave the castle grounds. The reasoning for this rule was also fairly sound enough, as the population had never seen or heard of a Human and would likely react with confusion, fear and possibly hostility. Twilight made Colin promise her to adhere to those two rules, and he wasn't about to betray her trust.

That didn't stop him, however, from thinking about how boring it was sticking around here.

One morning Colin got up and realized that he'd woken up before everyone else and, having found himself bored of reading, decided to wander around to another part of the castle. The library was an extensive room with a large selection of books to go through; Colin could only wonder how long it would take him and Twilight to find a solution to his problem as he passed through it. He pressed on into a few other rooms, but one caught his attention more than the others. It was laid out like a meeting or war room, with a high, domed ceiling and six large marble thrones arranged around a golden table. Curious, Colin approached the thrones to examine them more closely. Each one looked identical to the others, save for a single feature that set each one apart; on the upper part of the tall stone backrests, there were carved and coloured icons. There was a cluster of violet starbursts; a trio of yellow and blue balloons, and a similar trio of apples; a flock of butterflies; three glittering jewels; and finally a cloud, from which shot an arcing, prismatic thunderbolt.

For a moment, Colin had no idea what the icons meant, guessing that they were like house symbols, possibly denoting the members of a noble court. Twilight _was_ a princess, after all. Then he remembered the conversation he'd had with Celestia not too long ago, and realized they were cutie marks. Colin was interested by this, but soon found nothing else to do here and moved on. He didn't dare touch the chairs; he felt that sitting in them would be in poor taste.

Colin wandered around for what felt like the better part of an hour before finally coming full circle, back to what looked like the library again. Only this time, he noticed there was something different. The books were arranged in the same way any other library would arrange them, alphabetically and per the rules of the decimal system, but he hadn't seen any of them when he was combing the archives earlier. Colin found this interesting, as the other day he gathered a whole slew of books from all over the place, and yet he didn't reach this tiny corner of the library. Colin wandered for a short amount of time, then rounded a corner and froze at what he saw.

There, sitting at the end of a corridor of bookshelves, was a sort of stone platform, like a step, upon which had been placed a large piece of machinery. The machine was made of wood, mostly, with a large amount of metal pieces made from iron and brass set up like some sort of rig. On both sides of the machine there stood two nodes of some sort, metallic poles at the end of which had been placed a metal sphere roughly the size of Colin's fist. Colin walked closer to the machine, and noticed that it dwarfed him, being at least ten feet high from its base to the open hoop above that looked like some kind of stabilizer. But what intrigued him the most about the machine was the thing in the middle of it that it presumably was meant to power.

It was a mirror.

Colin stopped roughly five steps from the strange piece of technology for fear that his approach would set it off somehow. Mirror, rather like the machine that surrounded it, looked out-of-place among its surroundings, being intricately and delicately carved with twisting, vine-like designs on its outermost edge. The mirror's lavender-coloured frame was stylized in the shape of a horseshoe, and at its top there was another, smaller image, depicting a pony rearing up beneath a red jewel. Colin then turned his attention to the looking glass itself… and found himself mystified. The unblemished mirror showed a perfect image of Colin and the room around him; his small nose and brown, cautious eyes, and the neatly-trimmed dark hair on his head. In fact, the mirror's image looked _real;_ as though Colin could walk up to it, stick his hand in, and shake hands with the reflection on the other side…

"What _are_ you doing!?"

And suddenly, Colin was back in the Canterlot garden, about to touch that empty plinth, just now realizing that there were eyes on him. He silently promised himself there wouldn't be a third time that this happened to him as he turned to see Twilight standing behind him.

Unlike Celestia, Colin could tell Twilight was not pleased to see him here.

"Step away from there," she told him, and Colin obeyed. She then repeated, "What are you doing here?"

"I promise I wasn't going to do anything to it," Colin began. "I just got up early, and I wanted to wander around for a bit."

"I'm not sure about your world," Twilight replied sharply, "but we have a saying here; 'Curiosity killed the cat.'"

"That may be," Colin responded, invoking the other half of the saying, "'But satisfaction brought it back.'"

Twilight gave him an icy, suspicious stare that told Colin his input was not welcome.

"…Look," Colin said finally. "I'm sorry I went around here without your permission. It was a poor choice, and I understand that I may have gone through some things you would consider personal. I apologise for the entire ordeal wholeheartedly."

At that response, Twilight's face softened. She sighed. "Apology accepted, Colin. Just… try to be careful, alright? There are a lot of things here that could be dangerous if not handled properly."

"Like the mirror?"

Twilight nodded. "Like the mirror. Now, if you'd like, I was about to go have breakfast."

Colin replied that he'd like that, and the two of them turned to go, with the human only sparing a single glance at the mirror before they left.

* * *

The Badlands were aptly named.

As James had guessed, there was no water here. No vegetation. No life. He and Buddy had gone to great lengths to procure as much food and water as possible before their rest, and their provisions would have lasted them long enough to get through, so long as they weren't sidetracked. All around them, there was nothingness; an endless, flat plain of cracked, dry land, baking from the heat of the relentless sun above. Looking up at the white, blazing orb as it inched across the heavens, James felt as though the eye of the gods was upon him.

He could very well have been right about that, he thought to himself as he pressed onwards.

The dry, parched flats eventually gave way to red sand and stone mesas, laid across the ground like the gathering-tables of primordial giants. James absentmindedly wondered if, had he the time and resources to dig deep enough, he might find the fossilized bones of some ancient beast within the cursed earth here. The wind was coming from the north, hot and uncomfortable. Eventually, the two of them stopped in the shadow of a towering rock formation, only for a minute or two, to eat and drink.

While this was happening, the two took the time to chat.

"So, when we get out of here," Buddy asked, "I'm supposed to do the usual routine, yeah?"

James sipped from his flask before answering. "That's correct; you lie low for a while, stay out of their sight. I'd say a few weeks, a month or so, tops; shouldn't take long for the Spears to forget you were ever there and just go back to chasing me."

"And then I can spend that ruby you gave me and live like a king, eh?"

"Or just live."

Buddy paused, then nodded. "I got my life ahead of me; suppose takin' it easy would be the smarter move."

"Speaking of which," James said, "we're on the move again. Come on."

Before long, however, the wind began to pick up, this time from the south where they had come from. Turning around, James looked back in that direction, and was suitably unhappy with what he saw.

"That can't be good," Buddy observed.

"It isn't."

Even from this distance the two could see it clearly. A wall of brown, under a slate-coloured sky. As the two watched, a flash among the clouds sent thunder rolling across the skies.

"Sandstorm," James grunted. "Three guesses as to who sent it our way."

Buddy shook his head. "You can't seriously think that…"

"Believe it, pal," James replied. "The Equestrians know we have no cover here. They know we're not prepared for this, and they know there's nothing here collateral-wise for them to damage. The soldiers likely puffed up a whirlwind and let the momentum carry it here." He looked around frantically, eventually putting his eyes on a large canyon a few miles from their position. "See that rock over there?"

"Yeah?"

"Run."

Immediately the two were off, sprinting across the dunes at their target.

"We can't just outrun it?" Buddy hollered at James as they ran.

"Impossible," James replied. "It's only going to gain speed over the level ground. I'd say it'll overtake us in about ten minutes, and then who knows how long it'll last."

"So what's the plan!?"

"Find shelter. That, or get lost in the dust or struck by lightning." As if on cue, another peel of thunder punctuated James's words, stronger and closer this time. James risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the sandstorm approaching only ten miles back and advancing fast.

"And you think this rock will have that?" Buddy asked.

This time, James could hear the sound of a lightning-strike a split second before the boom of thunder drowned it out. And in that moment he could only answer honestly.

"No," he replied. "But there's no other option we've got."

The dead-sprint carried them quickly, but not fast enough to get them to the rock formation, an island of stone in the sea of sands surrounding them, before the storm caught up with them. Bolts of lightning began to lance down around them, and yet there was no rain, and the wall of dust and sand had not overtaken them. That wouldn't be the case for long. Pouring as much speed as he could into his already burning leg muscles, James moved as fast as his body would allow, almost passing his four-legged friend while he scampered towards the rock formation. There was a small gulley in the stone that the two could hide in until the storm passed; it wasn't much, but it would have to do.

"Follow my lead!" James screamed over the now-howling winds. The dog did as he had been told, and they began to rapidly close the distance, being around thirty metres away… fifteen metres away…

…With a final leap over the stones, James dove into the depression, Buddy landing behind him. Not a split-second later, the sands overtook the rock formation, and all other noise was drowned out by shrieking winds and roaring thunder. In the midst of the calamity, James struggled to see as the dust cloud ripped across the area, reaching even into the place they had hid, but with a ferocity only just lesser than facing the storm head-on. James looked to his left; there was an overhang that led to a hole, which looked just big enough to fit through if he and Buddy crawled. Signalling his partner to follow, James crawled into the hole, Buddy on his heels. Groping around in the dark, he found a sizeable stone and plugged the open hole as best he could, leaving the two of them in darkness.

* * *

If James had to guess, the storm lasted about two hours, the thunder above strong enough to shake the earth and cause sand to cascade down the low ceiling. The place he and Buddy had crawled into was only large enough to just accommodate the two of them, and was only high enough to fit them if both lay prone. For around twenty minutes after the howling of the wind died down to nothing and the thunder stopped, James did just that, laying there on his chest in the sand, nothing but darkness and Buddy's panting around him.

"Alright," he said finally. "You wait here. I'm going out to look around."

"You sure you gotta go out alone?" Buddy asked him. "Why don't you send me out instead? Y'know, in case anyone else is out there, I could lead 'em off and catch up with you later."

James shook his head, not certain whether the dog saw it or not. "They'd sense something was wrong. I'll let you know if the coast is clear; otherwise, we wait here until whatever search party's out there has moved on."

Before his partner could argue, James removed the rock covering the entrance to their hole, letting the harsh light of the afternoon sun flood into the tiny crevasse. Crawling out just enough to see the surrounding area, James neither saw nor heard anything but the whistling of the breeze. Quietly unsheathing his machete, he wriggled fully out of the hole and crept up to the edge of the rock formation. Nothing but desert stretching endlessly outwards to the south. He looked up; no surveillance from the skies, either. James decided to return and give Buddy the all-clear, and soon the two were back on the road again. Still, James couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

"I don't get it," he told Buddy as the sun began to set later in the day. "The sandstorm back there was obviously meant to slow us down; it would've been the ideal opportunity for an ambush."

"Okay, so maybe the sandstorm was natural, and we just had poor timing," Buddy countered.

"Really?" James mused. "I'm not so sure."

"Y'know, yer really somethin'," the dog replied. "Somehow you manage to be perfectly sure of what's goin' on an' yet, at the same time, you don't seem to be sure of anything at all! Look, _maybe_ the sandstorm was natural, or _maybe_ the search party came through those parts early and didn't find us. Heck, even if there _is_ a plan behind this weirdness, it's probably just your typical stalking tactic. All's _I_ know is, we got lucky this time." Buddy paused for a moment to drink, and then muttered, "Cripes, Al, relax. You're makin' _my_ blood pressure rise just being around you."

The two shared an uneasy laugh. "Then let's not put that fragile heart of yours at risk any longer," James ribbed him. "We're almost home. I'd say we should get back by around midnight."

"How can you tell?" Buddy asked.

"Just a guess." was all James said in reply.

Together, the pair made their trek in a few hours, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the air turned from a skin-cracking hot to a bone-numbing cold. James silently noted to himself to get some scraps of clothing to layer over his shirt; while his jacket was made for all kinds of weather, it could only do so much on its own. Slowly but surely the sand gave way once more to dry earthen flats, and finally to the rocky terrain of the mountain pass of the McIntosh Hills. Finding only a small blockade of troops, no doubt requisitioned from nearby Dodge City, it was a small effort to circumvent them and pass through to the gently-rolling, grassy hills of the countryside, now covered in a thin film of frost as specks of snow periodically drifted to the ground here and there, the tell-tale signs of an impending snowfall.

They were in Equestria once again.

"Well, Scruffy," James said finally, turning to his canine friend, "this would be where we part ways." He reached into his pack and drew forth his betting gold, laying them at Buddy's feet. "As I've promised; that and the ruby I found will be payment for your troubles. I suggest you find yourself an inn or speakeasy, somewhere off the beaten track would be nice, and stick there for the night. Then lay low for a while. Oh, and don't spend it all in one place, got it, furball?" James grinned sarcastically at him.

Buddy didn't argue, instead drowsily stuffing the gold in his own pack and looking up at him. "Where are you headed?" he asked.

"Canterlot. I've some business." With that, James turned to leave.

"Jim."

James turned back to his accomplice. "Yeah?"

"The business you got up there," he said. "This whole 'new human' thing? …What if it's a trap?"

James smiled reassuringly at him. "Get yourself to an inn," he told him, "and don't look back." But as he turned once again to leave, he muttered, "We'd better hope it's a trap, because if it isn't… I've got bigger problems."

Without another word, James was off, wandering towards the forest, on familiar ground once more.

* * *

"Do you think it slowed him down enough?" Razorplume asked frantically. She was showing an emotion not very often seen on her face—panic.

"We can only pray," came Gladeshine's response. He was equally frightened by the realization the two of them had today, and his voice showed it.

The two, along with roughly ten other guardsponies and twenty of the injured, were being transported back to Appleloosa by train. In the wake of the discovery they'd made, Razorplume had given the conductors the stern order to open up the throttle; they had to get back as soon as they could possibly manage.

"Idiot."

"Excuse me?" Gladeshine glared at Razorplume, only for the guardsmare to stare back icily.

"You," she accused, "are an _idiot._ You left it in the open, laying there, for him to _find!?"_

"I was expressing my concern regarding this conundrum about other—"

" _You aren't supposed to be talking about it AT ALL!"_ she yelled at him. Noticing they weren't alone in the passenger car, Razorplume's tone changed back to one of hushed worry. "Okay, okay… what—what do we do?" she stammered uneasily. "How do we tell Thundershield? He'll have our jobs… he'll have our _hides_ for this!"

"You're overreacting," Gladeshine calmly reassured her. "Things are going to turn out—"

"No they _won't_ turn out right!" Razorplume hissed. "Don't you get it? _He knows!_ Alistair _knows!_ And now he's on his way to the other human, to find him and kill him, or recruit him, or…"

Gladeshine forced Razorplume to look in his eyes. " _Commander_. Keep. It. Together."

The militaristic hardness returned to Razorplume's features at that response.

"In the letter I was going to send," Gladeshine explained, "I made no mention of the human's location being moved. Alistair will still think he's in Canterlot, which means that he'll try to break in there. He'll be risking it all just coming within ten miles of the mountain it's on; if they catch him, he won't have a chance to escape."

"And if he does?" Razorplume questioned, her voice calm once more.

"Then he has another problem," Gladeshine replied. "He'll have us waiting for him when he gets back down."

* * *

Colin lay awake in his bed, too restless to fall asleep. Something felt off.

In fact, something had felt off since he got here.

The way Twilight and Celestia had acted were odd and suspicious. Colin knew in his heart that they wanted to help him; of that, he didn't doubt one bit. That wasn't what he was worried about. Colin had this unshakable feeling that there was something he hadn't been told; the way Celestia acted, while more generous and kindly than anyone he could remember, and the way Twilight acted, cold and cautious, almost as though she didn't trust him. It felt like something was suspect.

Unable to sleep, Colin got up as quietly as he could and began to wander around. As he passed by the kitchen, he noticed a bright light suddenly emanate from within the room. Colin froze, but only until he noticed that it was only Spike. The young dragon seemed to be raiding the fridge for a midnight snack. When he turned and saw Colin behind him, Spike jumped, but didn't cry out.

"Uh… hi," he said. "Heh. You're up late. Uhm… why are you up so late, again?"

Colin saw no reason to lie to him. "I couldn't sleep."

"Oh. Yeah, I get that problem too, sometimes," Spike said. "You, uh… you won't tell Twilight about this, will you?"

In response, Colin put his left hand on his chest and his right hand in the air, a weary smile on his face. His response seemed to set Spike at ease, as the dragon grinned back and gave a scaly thumbs-up.

"Hey," Colin suddenly asked, "can I ask you something? It's going to sound really weird."

Spike's edginess returned somewhat. "…Yeah, sure. What is it?"

Colin stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge his feelings, before asking. "If… if there was something very important, about me, that Twilight or someone else knew about… they'd tell me, right?"

The room was dark, but in that instant, Colin could swear he saw Spike's jaw clench and his pupils dilate somewhat at that question. He took a moment to answer. "If Twilight or anyone else had discovered something about your race or where you had come from," he told him finally, "I swear to you, Colin, you'd be the first to know."

The two stood there for a long time, staring at one another. Suddenly, Colin stepped past Spike and strode over to a window, sighing. "I want to go outside," he said. "Get some fresh air. Is there any way to do that without being noticed?"

Spike looked at him. "We live next to a town," he told him. "And we don't exactly have a fenced-in backyard."

"There doesn't seem to be a lot of people down there right now," he observed.

Spike shook his head. "I'm not going to do that. Not while Twilight's asleep." He blinked and turned to leave the room, before looking over his shoulder at the human. "Go back to bed, Colin," he said. "Maybe you'll have more luck convincing Twilight in the morning."

With that, Spike left the room, leaving Colin to sit in the darkness and wonder.


	14. Chapter 13

_This is, undoubtedly, the single stupidest decision I've ever made in my entire life._

 _It's late. I won't be headed out immediately; I need to rest as best I can before I take the journey. I also need to gather supplies and weaponry, because there's no way in hell I'm going to Canterlot unarmed. The plan is mapped out in my mind; get to Canterlot, look around, find out if there's another human here or not, and get back out, with or without them. It'll be a simple recon, possibly even a rescue mission if I'm lucky._

 _And that's about where my brilliant plan ends._

 _I have no other back-up plan. I have no real grasp as to how I get into the city, or even close to the mountain, without being seen or caught. And most importantly, going anywhere near that place will mean that I'll be risking everything, including my freedom and quite possibly my life. I'll have to take the Sword with me; it's the only thing I have in my arsenal that can give me even a slight chance to fight Celestia, Luna or any other godlike being that may cross my path. That being said, I'm hoping it doesn't come to that; I'd much rather get in and out as quickly as possible, preferably without killing anyone, especially myself._

 _I have a few ideas, and those ideas will likely be what's going to happen in the end. I've got the Sword; I should find a bow to keep my opponents at range if possible; and I'm going to need a few other things first._

 _Like I said, it's a stupid plan. But what the hell. Doesn't get much crazier than this!_

… _I hope._

* * *

Colin sat by the window, watching as the populace of Ponyville wandered about their daily lives. It was particularly breezy today, with the last of the multicolored fall leaves finally coming loose from the trees and drifting away on the chill wind. It had begun to snow around eight o' clock, not heavily at first, but when the first snowfall of winter finally hit, it hit _hard._ By now, things looked pretty bad out there, but Colin made a guess that it would all clear up by the afternoon.

Twilight had decided that Spike, Colin and herself deserved a brief respite, and had allowed Colin to take a break from their work today and hang around the castle. He desperately wanted to go down there, to talk to one of them, ask what they were doing. Down in the streets, Colin noticed a small, blue pony wander its way into some kind of shop. He wondered what the shop sold; from this distance, he couldn't tell if it was food, clothing or just general things. Ponyville was definitely a small town, with no major supermarkets, hotels or skyscrapers. Colin could even see where the town ended and the wilderness and roads began from where he was sitting, and beyond that, who knew what was out there. Curiosity gripped him.

Colin got up from his seat. It was decided; he was going to ask Twilight if he could wander somewhere outside before the winter became too harsh. Taking to his feet and walking brusquely over to where Twilight herself was seated, writing at her desk, Colin stood there and waited for her attention to fall upon him.

Eventually, Twilight looked up at him. "Hi, Colin. Is there something I can do for you?"

Colin shifted his weight. "Well, no… actually, yes, there is, but it's rather something I'd like to ask you about."

The dully-shimmering field of violet energy emanating from Twilight's quill faded as she set it back in its inkpot with an afterthought. "Go ahead and ask; I'm listening."

"Well…" Colin's confidence suddenly felt like it was ebbing away. "It's just that, I've been here for quite some time, right?"

"I can understand you're anxious to get home, Colin," Twilight replied, "but this is going to take time, even with all three of us working on it."

Colin shook his head. "No, that isn't what I meant," he told her, a sheepish grin playing across his features. "What I meant was, that I've been here at the castle for quite some time now. And… well, you see, when a person stays inside for too long, they start to develop cabin fever."

Twilight's mouth twitched, but her huge, purple eyes displayed a feeling of skepticism. "Cabin fever," she repeated flatly.

"Yes. It's a real condition," Colin attempted to explain. "See, they sort of start to go crazy when the time passes, and they spend too much of it locked away, and… uh… look, I'm just going to say it, okay?"

' _Oh, joy,'_ Twilight thought. She had been expecting this moment; now her mind shifted immediately from hoping that Colin would never ask the question to how she could find a way to convince him otherwise.

"Here goes," Colin breathed deeply. "Is there any way we can go outside somewhere?"

Twilight shifted, trying to hide her discomfort with the inquiry. "Where, exactly, were you thinking of going?" she asked.

Colin didn't really have an answer for that, so he decided to improvise. "Well, I understand that I can't go into town," he rationalized, "but what about going into the woods on a nature walk? It'll only take a few hours, and people can't see through trees, can they?"

Twilight looked out a window, where Colin was gesturing at a forested area. "Like that," he said.

"That forest? Little fillies go out there to romp around," Twilight told him. "What if they saw you? You could give them nightmares."

The human still wanted to argue his case, so he moved towards a different window, the one overlooking the town where he had been sitting a few minutes ago. "Okay. Then, how about we go out further?" he suggested. "Over towards the mountains. Surely there aren't any people living there?"

"And how are we supposed to get there?" Twilight countered. "I have no way of transporting you and concealing you at the same time, and there's no way we're ever leaving by dark."

Colin's shoulders sagged. He turned back to the window to look over the town. However, just when Twilight believed he was finished and was about to congratulate herself, Colin made one last suggestion.

"Hey," he proposed. "What about over there?" Twilight felt a twinge of worry when she saw what Colin was pointing at.

"That's the Everfree Forest, Colin," she informed him.

"Okay. But, all of the people are avoiding it. They won't notice us, will they?"

"They're avoiding it for good reason," she explained. "The Everfree is filled with monsters. Things that can roast you alive, or swallow you whole, or turn you to stone with a glance." She quietly added, "I should know."

"Please," Colin pleaded. "There has to be _somewhere_ we can go."

"I already told you, Colin."

"I swear I'll do everything I can to make sure I'm never seen."

Twilight's features tightened. "Colin, we can't go anywhere else but here. It isn't safe."

"But with you there, wouldn't it be safer? It's not like I'm asking to go alone."

"Colin. Last warning."

"It will only be for an hour or two—"

" _No!"_ Twilight snapped. "Colin, do you understand why I'm doing this? I'm trying to make sure you return home, preferably in one piece and still sane! There's a reason why you can't leave the castle, and it's because going out there without any information or experience on it will end with that goal being a failure! You could die out there, especially in the Everfree, and _the last time this happened—!"_

Twilight's mind, tongue and blood froze at what she just said. Her face locked up as though her jaws had been placed in a vice, and her eyes went wide and gained a thousand-yard stare that looked right into Colin's soul. The human looked at her with a suspicious, narrow-eyed stare of his own.

" _Last time…"_ he repeated. "What do you mean… last time?"

Twilight's brain kicked into overdrive, attempting desperately to come up with a response. For three seconds she sat there silently before figuring out a proper response and forcing her mouth the form the words.

"The last time… that someone went into the Everfree, of course," she said, the cold hardness of her features returning to her face. "The last time that happened, a pony went missing. And do you want to know who that pony was?"

Colin looked skeptical. "Who?"

"Me," Twilight responded sharply. "I was blindsided by a cockatrice, and were it not for the intervention of a very close and personal friend of mine, I would have remained a garden ornament for eternity."

The room fell silent for a long time. Eventually, Colin broke the stare between the two of them and Twilight cleared her throat.

"Okay," she replied. "The lack of work to preoccupy you is making you restless, so I think what we're getting at is, our little break is over, yes?" Twilight rose from her desk. "Come on, Colin, we need to get back to it, or else you'll never get back home at this rate. Oh, and no more talk about leaving the castle. Am I clear?"

The look that Twilight had given Colin had sparked a new feeling in him; suspicion. But he refused to show that to her. Silently, he promised himself that he'd figure out what she was hiding from him.

"You are," he said. _"My princess."_

* * *

James pulled back on the string of his bow, feeling as the sinew went taut and bent the flexible recurve of the yew wood back in his direction. It was a composite bow, with a powerful draw and a range no longbow could match; he typically used it to hunt game in the forest, but tonight James planned to use it for defence in case anyone tried to test him. Putting the bow down, James examined his quiver. It was made of boiled leather, cylindrical in shape, with forty-six arrows in all, mostly tipped with flint, though a few used glass or steel shards. James grabbed the newest addition, an arrow whose shaft had been burned black to set it apart and with a head that had been given a leather cap, and slipped it in before slapping a tin lid over the opening to keep the arrows from falling out during his ascent.

He had decided not too long ago that he'd have to find some way to get into Canterlot from the inside of the mountain. The railway tunnel there would most definitely provided a passageway up into the city itself, which meant that if he could find a way through the dark tunnel system without being seen, which would be relatively easy, he'd be able to enter the city without tripping any alarms or being caught by any of the guards that would doubtlessly be crawling the premises. He still didn't like that he had to do this; if anything, the only thing that could come of it was trouble. The last time he crossed Celestia was during the conflict with Ophidian when he decided to go after Thrall alone. She'd sent Night Iron and his squad, including Thundershield, after him, and the equestrian commander's help ended in his demise. Naturally, Thundershield blamed James for this, and now here he was.

James reluctantly grabbed the Spellbane Sword from its hiding place and slipped the scabbard on, sheathing the lustreless ebony blade and letting out a distressed sigh. This was all he was willing to carry with him; if James took the map that contained the locations of his safehouses, or his journal that contained details of all his connections and relationships, everything would be compromised should he fail and be captured. The Equestrians would find the shards. Buddy and anyone else he'd helped over the years would be tracked down and arrested. Lyra and Bonbon would be tried for treason and aiding a war criminal, with the only comfort being that there was a chance they'd be let off the hook if Celestia was as merciful as she claimed to be. Celestia, Ophidian and everyone he'd ever made enemies with would get one last collective laugh, before the lever was pulled, the noose snapped taut and finally James was dead.

There would be no turning back once James began his ascent to the palace. He'd be investing everything in this move, and then some. He breathed in deeply and slowly, to steady himself, then breathed back out in the same fashion.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered.

And before he knew it, he was back in the forests on his way north to Canterlot. By his calculations, he'd reach the mountain by midnight, and then it would be all on him to get in and out before daybreak.

* * *

"Come on, Angel. Try it, I bet you'll love it!"

Fluttershy's encouraging did nothing to change her pet rabbit's mind. Angel took the dish she was trying to prompt him into eating and overturned it, sending it clattering to the floor.

"Angel _Bunny!"_ Fluttershy scolded. "I'll have you know I worked _hard_ on that dish, and you just threw it away! Have you any idea how that makes me feel?"

Unapologetic, Angel crossed his arms insolently and glared at her.

Fluttershy sighed through her nose. She loved Angel as though he was her child, but that of course came with a fair amount of exasperation. Just as she was about to cave in, however, a sudden knock at the door announced the arrival of Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, hi Twilight," she greeted. "How are you today?"

Twilight swallowed. "Actually, Fluttershy, things have been… hectic. I mean, I've been fine, but things have been pretty hectic." She suddenly added, "I was wondering if you could come with me to talk to the girls. There's been something I've been meaning to tell you all."

Fluttershy gave a look of concern, which Twilight took in stride. Reluctantly she accepted, and before long they had gathered Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity, who had the pleasure of having her home used as the meeting place as she was last to be approached. With her sister, Sweetie Belle, out with her own friends, and with her cat curled up asleep, the place seemed empty and quiet.

"Okay, girls," Twilight began awkwardly. "I… I bet you're wondering why I asked everyone to gather up here…"

"Ooh!" Pinkie interrupted. "Can I take a guess?"

Twilight stared at her. "I… suppose so. I bet you'll never get it, though."

Pinkie responded with a grin. "Now, that just makes me more determined than ever! Okay, here goes; you're going off on some dangerous journey, and need us to come with you!"

Twilight shook her head. "No, that isn't it."

"You're about to do something incredibly bold and reckless, and you need our support?"

"Well, no, not really that, either."

"Hmm." Pinkie sat and placed her hoof under her chin, pondering. "Judging by your expression, it can't be something good. Okay, I give up."

Rainbow spoke up. "So, what is it you need to tell us, Twilight?"

"And not to complain," Rarity added, "but why can't it be told at the meeting place at your castle?"

Twilight felt the words stick to her throat as she tried to answer. Finally, she gulped down a large breath of air and said it.

"There's another human in Equestria. His name is Colin, and he's been living in my castle for the past few days. We're working on trying to get him back to his home, but he's getting restless from being kept in the castle for so long and I'm beginning to fear he might find out about James."

The room was completely silent. With the sudden revelation that Twilight had just dropped on them in such a rapid-fire fashion, she wasn't surprised.

Finally, Pinkie Pie broke the silence. "Well," she said. "You were right. No predicting that doozy."

"Wait," Rarity asked. "I don't quite understand. Where did you find this 'Colin'? And why would you tell us?"

"I didn't find him," Twilight explained. "Celestia did. He appeared in Canterlot about a week ago. But Celestia is busy right now, and so she's handed Colin over to me until we can find a way to send him back to where he came from. I've been given strict orders not to tell the general public, but she's allowed me to inform you guys if absolutely necessary."

"Well, you'd better keep him away from my apple farm," Applejack warned. "Been through that already, an' I'd rather not have repeats."

Twilight nodded. "Oh, I have no intention of letting him leave the castle," she told them. "Celestia gave me three rules; do not let him out of your sight, do not let him get into danger, and under no circumstances whatsoever is he to find out about James Alistair."

There was a pause at the mention of the outlaw, the only other human who was known to walk on Equestrian soil.

"And," Fluttershy finally asked, "Does James know about this?"

Twilight's expression darkened. "I'm not sure what he'd do if he did," she told her. "But for everyone's sake, I hope to Celestia he doesn't."

"You don't think he'd come back here, would you?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow scoffed. "Not if he knows what's good for him," she said.

"Regardless," Twilight interrupted, "I'm telling the five of you now so that you know. In the event that Colin tries to leave, and if for some reason, _any_ reason, I can't stop him, I'm counting on you to do it for me. Don't hurt him, if you can help it, but do whatever you can to try and keep him from revealing himself. I don't need to ask you if I can trust you to do it; I _know_ I can trust you."

Twilight had hoped to take a few hours off from the work she was doing and have a bit of fun with her friends, but unfortunately the revelation she'd given them made it impossible to shift the topic of conversation—in hindsight, she should have left it for later. But with how things happened the first time around, she felt it better they knew earlier. The meeting didn't last much longer, roughly a half-hour at most, and when Twilight was headed home, Fluttershy stopped her.

"Twilight, wait. Can I ask you something?"

Twilight turned. "What is it, Fluttershy?"

"I was wondering. Colin is a human, right? He's… well, he's never been here before. And he's curious, isn't he?"

"Yes. That's why I'm concerned he'll try to leave."

"Right, yes. I was wondering," she repeated, "what if one of us came over to see him?"

"W-what?" Twilight stammered, unprepared for the question.

"Well, just think," Fluttershy explained. "The whole reason James was hostile towards us when he first showed up, was because of a bunch of misunderstandings."

"No, Fluttershy, it wasn't," Twilight argued. "It was because James was an uncompromising, rude criminal."

Fluttershy shook her head. "He stole from Sweet Apple Acres because he didn't know better. And after that, I think he ran from us because he didn't think we'd treat him fairly if he cooperated. Maybe it wasn't the best actions on his part, and it was definitely not okay for him to have done everything else, but that's how I remember it started. I don't want this Colin to end up like James because of that same mistake."

Twilight hesitated at her friend's explanation. Perhaps it was because Fluttershy, being the Element of Kindness, was seemingly too trusting for her own good at times, or perhaps it was because a part of Twilight knew she was most likely right. With the confusion of the last time Ophidian made its mark on the world, she honestly didn't know what to think. She wasn't happy about Colin being here in the first place…

…But Fluttershy had a point.

"I understand, Fluttershy," Twilight said finally. "And, I suppose you're right. Maybe Colin would react better if he had more than just Spike and I for company. However, it's getting late, and I'd rather nopony come visit us now. But how about this; tomorrow, if you come over, I'll introduce you to him."

Fluttershy smiled warmly. "Sure, I can do that."

And so the two of them went to their respective homes. Twilight wondered how Colin would react to Fluttershy, and a flicker of hope went through her body. Perhaps this new human was different from James Alistair after all.

Twilight returned to the castle to find Spike waiting for her.

"Hey, Spike. I hope you and Colin didn't wait up for me," she said, referring to dinner.

"No. We had something to eat." Spike replied. He quickly added, "Colin turned in early."

"Why? Was he not feeling well or something?"

"No, he just said he was tired and left for his room."

Twilight felt that a bit odd, but chose not to argue. For the next few hours, she and Spike loafed about with nothing much to do, until finally it was around the typical time they turned in as well. Passing by the door to the guest room where Colin slept, Twilight considered knocking, but decided against it. Saying goodnight to Spike, she went into her bedroom to sleep…

* * *

…And Colin opened his eyes.

He'd been waiting for this opportunity to present itself for the whole day. He didn't dare attempt it while Twilight was gone, nor while the last bit of daylight bled away into nightfall, but now he could finally do it. Twilight wasn't being completely honest with him, and he was going to find out what she was hiding and why, even if it meant betraying her trust.

He waited in silence, not daring to even shift in bed, for about thirty minutes to ensure both Twilight and Spike were fast asleep before quietly creeping out of bed and opening his door gingerly to avoid a creaking noise that would have awoken the pony dozing off just a few metres away. Colin walked quietly down the empty, dark halls, all the way to the library, when a sudden noise caused Colin to freeze in place.

"Hoo."

Perched atop one of the bookshelves, its wide eyes on a swivel, a huge owl was keeping nocturnal watch on the surrounding area. Colin had noticed it before, and felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner, but it hadn't seen him yet, which gave him enough warning to go around. Taking an extra ten minutes to find an alternate route, Colin eventually found the door to the castle. Slowly unlocking the door, Colin quietly opened the front door, set foot to the dirt and grass of Twilight's lawn, and finally he was outside.

Looking around, his arms folded about his chest to protect from the cold, Colin took note of the overcast sky, his bare toes against the soft, cold ground, and the silence of the dimly-lit town before him. Then he began to walk out towards the darkest parts of the streets, taking caution even in the slightest chance he might be seen.

There would be no turning back now.


	15. Chapter 14

For the capital of Equestria, Canterlot wasn't really that big of a city. Being situated atop a mountain gave it little area to build upon and risky conditions to build outward from. But it was arguably one of the safest places by comparison with any other city. The elevation of the city made it the ultimate hillfort, with only two direct ways in, both of which would have to be taken by forces that only the likes of Ophidian or some other highly-esteemed general would possess. The first was through the main gate, which had been tried before by the ethereal monster back during the Incident. The other way was to fight their way up through the mountain tunnels, from the train station at the very base to the inner gates that led directly into the city. Indeed, both were highly taxing and nigh-impossible methods to get into Canterlot.

Luckily, James had many _in_ direct ways in as options.

As always, James had gotten in by hiding on one of the late-night trains that found their way across the land at night, carrying cargo and groups of road-weary travelers from distant countries, white-collar workers on business shifts, vagabonds and the occasional runaway foal likely regretting they'd ever left home by now. This time, James didn't hop on in mid-transit and hide in one of the cars; perhaps it would've worked anywhere else, but not here. Instead, he camped about a mile from the station, and when the train began to pass he jumped onto the caboose, found handholds in the floor underneath him, and hauled himself under the train so that he was clinging to the undercarriage. There was enough space between him and the rails for it to work, but he could only do it for so long until his strength gave out. James hung on for dear life, and when the train finally slowed to a hissing stop in the dark, torch-lit station, he slid out from under the train.

The station was almost always filled with cargo that hadn't been moved up to the city yet, crates of food, barrels of water, and various other things James hadn't the time to care about. It made the perfect cover for him, and soon he was crouched behind a grouping of barrels, watching the detail of guardsponies move about the station, unloading baggage and directing passengers toward the main pathway upward to the city. James wasn't about to take that route, but there would be multiple other ways to ascend.

James wandered over to the nearest alternate path, an express tunnel the guardsponies used in the event of an emergency. When he was last in these parts, attempting to steal back the shard hidden here, James had used it to gain access, finding the shadowy corners of the rough-cut halls a quick and easy route. Not so much this time; the Equestrians had adapted and erected a guard post. So James attempted to search for other ways up, but could find none.

After about two minutes, he got fed up. _'C'mon,'_ he thought, _'Give me something. A maintenance access tunnel. Some natural caves. A goddamn_ ladder, _if that's all you have to offer, just give me_ something!'

Lo and behold, shortly after he had that thought, an opportunity presented itself. Of course, James would use the term lightly, as it was no doubt the _worst_ opportunity ever, as not only was it unpleasant, but he also knew that it would provide a way upward, meaning it was his only option. Beneath him sat a circular grate. James looked down at it with disgust; he knew _exactly_ where that would lead him.

He also knew that there would be a way through it for workers to fix any problems that happened inside it.

James glared angrily at the grate, then cast his eyes upward to the mountain above.

"I hate you," he muttered, hoping Celestia would hear him.

And before the next pair of guards could march on past, the grate was slid back to where it was and James was gone.

* * *

The snowfall during the day left a thin layer atop the grass, and Colin wasn't happy about that. He knew his footprints would be easily seen, but luckily Twilight had left fresh sets of hoofprints in the snow on her walkway, so he masked his footsteps in those. He was regretting not having taken the time to put on his shoes before leaving, but it was too late to turn back now. The silence of the town was eerie, and it soon became extremely apparent as Colin picked his way across through the backalleys and streets, keeping out of sight as best he could. One or two times he slipped and fell with a crunch into the snow, and his body hurt from the impacts on solid dirt. Before long, Colin was at last in the thick of Ponyville, the quiet of the evening almost deafening.

He passed by stores as he slunk about; a sweetshop called Sugarcube Corner, with a large window display of various confections and candies; a designer clothing store called the Carousel Boutique, where there stood horse-shaped mannequins clothed in exotic furs and dresses; a day spa, a bowling alley, restaurants, and no small amount of cottages where people lived and slept. Before long, Colin began to feel he was out in the open, and moved on to another place of interest to him. It took him a while to find it, but eventually, there it was, in front of him in the middle of a courtyard.

The charred area, the place Colin had seen on his way into Ponyville from the skies, the place he had asked Twilight about but got no clear answer, was much closer and easier to see. And from this distance, it was clear as to what the wreckage was. Before Colin stood a tree; or rather, what was left of one. It was massive, far more than most trees should ever be, and it was charred black and ashen-gray all over, very little of its bark still intact, most definitely and inarguably dead.

His curiosity brimming over, Colin walked out into the open, heedless of who might see him, towards the colossal tree. Whatever had happened to it must have been some kind of explosion, perhaps a lightning strike, as it was powerful enough to blast it hollow from the inside. Suddenly, however, it became apparent in the dark that Colin wasn't just approaching a tree. There was something else, something embedded in the bark well enough to look like the rest of the trunk. Upon close inspection, Colin realized it was a door, and the tree was not just any tree at all.

It was a house. Someone lived here, once. He could only wonder who. Looking down, Colin noticed a sign, sitting propped up against the trunk, half of it missing and the char marks making what letters were there almost illegible. _Almost._ Colin crouched, looking closely at the sign, and read what letters were there;

 **GOLDE**

 **OA**

 **LIBRA**

"' _Golde Oa Libra,'"_ Colin muttered. It only took him a moment to guess the remaining letters. "Golden Oak Library." The wheels began to turn in his mind; rising up, Colin looked from the bombed-out ruins of the Library to the castle of Twilight in the distance. The two buildings looked very similar to one another. That would mean that Twilight might have lived here before. Something didn't fit. There was still a question unanswered.

What destroyed it?

Colin looked at the doorknob that would lead him into the husk of the structure. It was most likely that the blast had fused it to the tree, the bark and processed wood becoming one. But it was worth a shot.

Colin reached out, and his finger touched the metal knob…

…And then there was a feeling like an electric shock multiplied by a thousand, and Colin's vision snapped clear.

His mind fled, his consciousness putting him into a trance, like some kind of dream. Colin heard laughter, the sounds of Twilight and Spike, and a few others he couldn't identify, enjoying themselves. He heard those voices speak, but he couldn't make things out. He heard Celestia's voice as well, soothing almost even though he couldn't understand what she was saying.

And then it devolved from a dreamlike state into a waking nightmare.

There was laughter, sharp and psychotic, as the world warped and exploded around Colin, lifting him off his feet, and an odd taste, like chocolate, in his mouth. Colin felt his gut twist as the impact of an explosion vibrated through his skeleton and a deep, demonic growl filled his ears. Finally, the world darkened, and all Colin could see was an infinite nothingness.

There were a pair of eyes staring forth from the darkness, like two distant stars, bright and burning into his very soul. He could hear the sound of Twilight's voice, the happiness gone from it, a white-hot edge of panic and mania to it. Still, it sounded like gibberish, but Colin somehow knew its intent; it wanted him dead. No; it wanted him _gone,_ erased, as though he didn't exist at all.

There was a scream; loud, primal, the cornered-animal shriek of an enraged man in the worst pain imaginable, about to die and knowing it and fighting back with all his might.

A _human_ scream.

Colin cried out, feeling himself lose his footing, and fell flat to his back in the cold snow. He was back in the courtyard, in front of the Library.

"Who's that!?" a voice cried out from nearby. "Who's out there!?"

Colin was short of breath already, but his lungs could suddenly hold enough capacity for him to scramble to his feet, backpedal, almost slip again, and then finally turn and sprint back in the direction he came from. He ran blindly, the panic from his vision taking over, until finally he tripped over an elevated platform, hitting his knee hard on the edge. There was a shifting noise, and pain shot through Colin's right leg. When he tried to rise, he realized that he had to favour his left leg to continue at a limp.

Colin had crashed into a train station, and across from him sat a bulletin board of sorts, splattered with various papers, flyers and posters. Colin limped over to them, looking around and seeing nothing of the person who'd called out his name. Feeling it was safe, he took a quick glance at the posters, seeing a few of interest.

There were a series of simple, white posters, each with a sketch of someone's face, and writing above and below. They had been carelessly stapled over one another, leaving several concealed from view. Colin tore one off, with the image of a hooded, grim-looking horse, and read it;

 **WANTED**

 **GLADESHINE, EQUESTRIAN MERCENARY AND BOUNTY HUNTER**

 **FOR CRIMES OF ILLICIT FOR-PROFIT MILITARY SERVICES, FOALNAPPING, SMUGGLING AND ALLEGED MURDER**

 **REWARD: 7500 BITS FOR ANY INFORMATION LEADING TO HIS CAPTURE**

Wanted posters. Colin took the sheet he was holding and folded it up, placing it in his pocket. He tore another one down, one with three ugly-looking dog faces.

 **WANTED**

 **THE DIAMOND DOG GANG (FIDO, ROVER, SPOT)**

 **FOR CRIMES OF ILLEGAL GEMSTONE MINING OPERATIONS, SLAVERY, FOALNAPPING AND THEFT**

 **REWARD: 6000 BITS FOR ANY INFORMATION LEADING TO THER CAPTURE**

This one, too, Colin folded up and tucked away. He wasn't sure why, but there was a feeling of anger that began to replace his fear and confusion. Something in the back of his mind pleaded him to stop, telling him there was only pain to be found here, but Colin didn't listen. He kept looking at the posters, tearing them down and folding them up. Finally, there were only two posters left, one concealed behind the other.

 **WANTED**

 **BUDDY, FENCE AND ESCAPED CONVICT FROM HORSESHOE BAY PENITENTIARY**

 **FOR THE FELONIES OF PETTY THEFT AND VAGRANCY, AND THE HANDLING OF STOLEN GOODS**

 **50 BIT REWARD FOR ANY INFORMATION LEADING TO HIS CAPTURE**

Colin didn't know any of these people. He was frustrated, and wanted answers, and the vison did nothing but make that clear. So he tore down the last poster…

…And, with his heart freezing and sinking at the same time, realized what Twilight and Celestia had been hiding from him all along.

He could hear someone coming. Without any further delay, Colin quickly tore down, folded up and tucked away the last poster, adamant on showing it to Twilight, and turned to face his fate. He couldn't outrun them, and he knew it. It was time to know the truth.

Before him landed a cyan mare, whose flank carried the prismatic thunderbolt Colin recognized from earlier. Her mane and tail had the same unique pattern, something that would distinguish her in a crowd.

"So," she sneered. "You're Colin, I assume?"

Colin didn't back down. "I am," he confirmed.

"Good," she smiled back, but the smile wasn't a pleasant one. "Twilight's been looking for you. You're lucky nopony else saw you scamper through the streets."

"Am I?" Colin asked. "I bet I'm quite the lucky one, all things considered."

The cyan mare paused. "What do you mean by that?"

Colin stared at her. Then he shifted his eyes to the ground. "I mean my leg is hurt," he said. "I won't be much use walking that far."

"No need," the mare replied. "I'm carrying you back."

* * *

Canterlot was quiet right now, with the only noise being the whistling of the wind through the cold streets and the milling about of guard patrols spread across town as they traveled their routes as subtly as they could, making no sounds aside from quiet, idle chatter.

Beneath their hooves, under the streets, there was a series of tunnels, wide and round, with walkways on either side, and ladders upward at intervals to gain access from above. These tunnels went all over the city, including under the Royal Palace itself. And within the outside walls, in a dark corner of the inner complex, there was the gentle sliding of one of a metal grate across the pavement, and suddenly a shape climbed out of the hole, slid the grate back into place, and scrambled back to rest by a cart of hay.

James was back in Canterlot.

Ripping the cloth down from his face, James sucked in several breaths of the clean, fresh mountain air, taking in the smell and the cool breeze on his face. He had managed to keep himself out of the… muck… down there, but the stink would cling to his nostrils for days, even after he'd washed and cleaned his clothes. A mouse skittered nearby, stopping by his boot, and squeaked at him.

James looked up from the crate he was propped up against. "Oh, what. You think _your_ life is bad?" he asked the mouse. "Beat it." With a shift of his foot, the mouse was scared off, and scampered away into the night.

Willing himself to move, as the journey up was tiresome and unpleasant, James snuck over to the outer wall and climbed up to the top. The shadows were enough to conceal him, but they were fading as the sky turned from black to navy blue. He had to be quick. Before long, James was within the palace, creeping around where the light of torches and the moon cast harder shadows for him to traverse through. Twice he was early caught by the patrols, once almost running into them by rounding a corner. Both times, however, he left behind nothing but a swirl of dust and a dying foul smell for the guards to find. James checked everywhere, every room he came across, but there were no other humans; in fact, there didn't seem to be any guests at all.

The sky had begun to lighten. He couldn't stay much longer.

James had to find a way out if he wanted to escape before daybreak. Before long, he found himself wandering to the nearest window, intent to climb back down; he wanted to avoid using a sewer ever again in his life, if he could help it. James turned the nearest corner, expecting yet another empty room…

…And saw none other than Celestia herself, her back turned to him, staring out the window.

James backpedaled, almost giving himself away, but Celestia didn't seem to notice him. No; Celestia _had_ to have noticed him. She didn't get this far, survive all the events of her life, to be unobservant of intruders. She wasn't unaware of James. She was humoring him.

James knew it had to have been a trick. He knew that she was planning something.

But his desire for answers overcame his knowing.

Taking up his bow, notching the black arrow and removing its leather cap, James crept in, the shadows covering him, and drew back the string, ready to fire at the slightest movement. He stayed in the doorframe, so that if anyone came from either side, he'd be ready for them. There was a silence for a long time that drowned out the rest of the world.

"It's a long way to come for nothing, James," Celestia said finally. She didn't turn to face him, which was good; James had no doubt he was not capable of bringing her down, but he wasn't about to let her bring that horn of hers to bear on him.

"Nothing?" James asked. "You don't know what I even came here for. Maybe I came here to kill you."

"If you wanted that," Celestia replied, "you would have attempted it by now, the moment you saw me." She turned to face him, and James pulled the bowstring tighter. "I could have you imprisoned or dead, James, in the space of a few seconds. All I have to do is scream."

James didn't balk. "I could kill you too, in less than that, and all _I_ have to do is let go."

"Answer me. Why did you come here?"

"I owe you no obedience!" James snarled. Reeling in his hatred for her, he bitterly mocked, "Besides, you're a smart, infallible woman, aren't you? Shouldn't you know already?"

Celestia and James stared at one another. The Princess understood that James knew the secret. Her heart sank, but there was nothing else to do.

"You're after the shard again," she lied.

"Oh, I think we both know better than that," James replied.

"I have no idea what you think you've heard," Celestia shot back, "but it isn't true, whatever it is."

"Your eyes say different." James lowered his bow. "Tell me now, Celestia. Before I tear the country apart looking. Is there another human here?"

Celestia's expression was one of steel-cold anger. Then she cast her gaze down and sighed. "Yes. There is another human in Equestria."

"You… gave that answer more easily than I expected," James said.

"No sense hiding something you already know." The defiant and angry look in her eyes returned, and James instinctively raised his bow once again. "But you'll never reach him. I've made sure of that."

"Twilight," James muttered. "If this new guy's even a touch like me, he'll be long gone soon enough."

"I wouldn't count on it." Celestia replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to raise the sun."

"Be my guest," James replied, gesturing to the window behind her.

"I'm not about to turn my back on you."

"Nor I on you. So why don't we make things just a bit more interesting, shall we?"

"Drop your bow."

"No."

The silence gave way to tension, and James's muscles burned with iron-like tightness. The arrow remained aimed directly at Celestia's heart. Celestia's mouth twitched. The two held each other's gaze for quite some time…

…And then the time came.

"GUARDS!" Celestia called.

Before the word was completely out of her mouth, James loosed the arrow, forcing Celestia on the defensive. In the split-second she'd gotten up a magical shield, which sent the arrow sparking off and sailing out the window into the sky, James was down the hallway and around the corner. Hearing the cries, the shouts and orders, coming from all around him, James did nothing but run aimlessly until he finally found what he was looking for; a balcony overlooking the palace grounds. It was a good placement for a window, as beyond the wall was the natural face of the mountain. Particularly, there were cliffs that would allow James to progress quickly down without falling to his death. Blocking the door behind him, James grabbed the nearest rope he could find, coiled in a closet, and tied it to a steel-tipped arrow. He notched the arrow and fired, watching it slam into the rock and bury itself stable.

The door behind him, with its blockage, began to shake with impacts. The alarms in the city blared.

He needed to leave, _now._

Securing the rope to a bedpost, James slung his bow over his shoulder, slipped off his belt, and used it to zipline across the gap. He hoped against hope the arrow would hold. It did, and James felt his boots slam against the stone.

Climbing for dear life, blasts of pure energy pockmarking the mountain around him, James climbed out of sight and began to descend from the mountain. It was a close escape. But on his way down the mountain, through the forest and back to safety, James couldn't get the last few words Celestia called at him as he left.

"You know what this means as well as I do, James!" Celestia had called after him. "Your interference in the Jungle didn't go unnoticed. Give up the shards, or keep running, it won't matter, because nothing will stop me from _finding you!"_


	16. Chapter 15

_I hope to all that is holy and great in this world that I never,_ ever _have to so much as look at a sewer again. Especially one used by horses._

 _I write this having clambered down the mountain and just recently scrubbed myself raw in a spring. It wasn't as bad as it could've been, seeing as winter has only just begun, but it damn sure didn't help my mood. I think I stayed there for about three hours as my clothes were hung up to dry, rinsing and scrubbing and repeating, over and over. Three hours. And no matter how much I wash, no matter how squeaky clean I am afterward…_

 _I can still. Smell. The_ _ **crap.**_

 _So yeah, I'm a bit irritated; chalk up another bad day for the books, both for me and the next person who sees fit to make things hard on me. Let's see, I'd say it's about…_

 _Fifty three /_ _Sixty seven /_ _Sixty six times/_ _No, what about San Palomino? So that makes about sixty eight_

 _To hell with it, I've lost count. Anyway, on to more pressing matters. So there's a new guy in town, yeah? Well, my hopes go out to the poor sap. I'd say God only knows what his captors are subjecting him to, but God wants no part of this, never did. The question isn't where; there's only one place Celestia'd trust him to be, and she's right in a way, going there is almost as risky as going to Canterlot._

 _Key word being 'almost' of course. I go to Ponyville all the time. No, the question is; how the hell am I going to get him out of there?_

* * *

The way back to the castle lasted about thirty seconds, but it felt much longer to Colin. It felt like a gallows march, a slow walk (or rather, flight) to certain doom, and in a way, it was. Colin had disobeyed Twilight directly; there was no way he could deny that now. The sky was beginning to lighten in the east as the sunrise approached, but he and the cyan mare would be back in the castle long before anyone could notice.

"Hey," the cyan mare said. "I get it if you're afraid of heights, but could you maybe lay off a bit?"

Colin suddenly realized he was clutching onto her mane with white-knuckled intensity. "Sorry," he muttered half-heartedly as he loosened his grip.

How could Twilight hide it from him? Why did she see fit to keep him in the dark about it? What gave her the right? She should have told him. Celestia should have told him. He deserved to know about this. As the mare landed, he slid uneasily off her back, his sprained knee stinging with even the slightest impact.

Not long after their short flight, Colin was given the name of the mare who had caught him; Rainbow Dash. Of course, Twilight didn't formally introduce her to him, rather it slipped out during conversation. Dash told her where she'd found him and asked Twilight if she needed her to stay, to make sure that Colin didn't try to run off again. Twilight politely declined, and Dash turned to leave; as she did, she and Colin made eye contact for the briefest of moments before she finally went out the door and took to the skies.

Colin looked back at Twilight. He'd always assumed that Twilight didn't like him, but now she wasn't doing anything to hide her contempt.

"I'm disappointed in you," she began.

"So am I," Colin replied. "In you."

"Don't speak," Twilight ordered him as she began to pace the library. "Have you any idea how close you got to being revealed? Did you forget that if you ended up being seen there would be major repercussions?"

"Oh, it might've crossed my mind," Colin said in defiance of her previous command. He honestly no longer care about Twilight's hostility, the calm edge of anger in her voice – he was quite angry himself, too.

"And did you also forget that I've housed and fed you for more than a week, thrown away countless hours that I could have spent fixing other people's problems to _help you get home?"_ Twilight paused to see the effect it had on Colin, which wasn't much. "The speed at which this process would've gone if I decided _not_ to help you? Did you forget _that?"_

Colin let the biting, guilt-tripping remarks wash over him. He was well aware of all that, but he wasn't about to show how bad he felt. No yet, at least.

"Do you want to know _why_ I wanted to go outside?" Colin asked.

"Oh, please," Twilight replied, a false grin spreading across her face. "Do regale me."

"I was because I was curious," Colin replied, "as to what you were _hiding_ from me."

"I wasn't hiding anything from you!" Twilight denied. "There isn't anything out there I would possibly hide from you, aside from dangerous, killer creatures that you wouldn't want to see anyway! So, tell me, Colin, what could I possibly be keeping you from out there?"

Colin didn't answer. He turned and hobbled away from Twilight, limping on his bad leg to her writing desk. Before long she was on the other side of it.

"Don't turn your back on me!" she snapped. "Look at me when I'm talking to you! Tell me, what would I be keeping from you!?"

Colin paused. "You know, Twilight," he accused, "your manners are very impeccable. For a _liar."_

"How dare you—" Twilight began to say, but stopped short when Colin reached into his pants pocket. She only just realized then that it had been stuffed full of crumpled up paper.

"I, too, am curious as to what you'd be hiding from me, Twilight," he explained. "Tell me, is it the fact that Equestria has a criminal underworld?" Colin punctuated his interrogative by slamming a wanted poster down onto the desk, a wanted poster showing the ugly visages of the Diamond Dogs.

"There are dark sides to everywhere, Colin," Twilight responded.

"No? Then maybe it's the fact that there are hitmen for hire out there." Colin slammed down another poster, one depicting some hired muscle called Gladeshine.

"You don't get to turn this into a tirade against me—" Twilight tried to say, but Colin wasn't listening. He was slapping down poster after poster, one atop the other, each one carrying an angry accusation. He'd collected about seven in all.

" _No!?"_ he repeated sharply. "Then maybe it's the thieves! The murderers! The fences and smugglers!"

" _I'm warning you!"_ Twilight snarled. Her horn began to glow intensely. "If you say one more word, I'll… I'm going to…" For a moment, she paused, reeling in her frustration and rage. Her expression changed from anger back to their usual calm, steely, stone-faced features. "I'm going to punish you," she said calmly. _"Severely."_

Colin looked at her, his own cold stare fixated on hers, both trying to cut into the other. Then without another word, Colin reached into his pocket, drew forth one final poster, and slammed it into the table with a _bang_ that resonated through the silence of the castle. Twilight was vaguely aware of Spike in the hallway beyond, no doubt coming to see what the noise that woke him was all about. He had wisely opted to remain in the hallway, silently observing the scene.

Twilight looked down at the poster as Colin shoved it towards her side of the desk, and her heart crawled into her throat. She choked it back down, unwilling to show her concern to Colin. The sketch artist face stared back at her; it was an older poster, showing him at a younger age, maybe about a year or two older than what Colin was now, but there was no mistaking who it was; the shifty, ice-blue eyes, the then-recent scar across his face, the cocky, predatory, tooth-bared grin. Grimly, Twilight read the words above and below the pencil sketch.

 **WANTED**

 **JAMES ALISTAIR, FUGITIVE, MURDERER AND WAR CRIMINAL**

 **FOR THE MURDER OF THE EQUESTRIAN GUARDSPONY NIGHT IRON, THE ATTEMPTED MURDERS OF TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND RAINBOW DASH, AND THE ATTEMPTED REGICIDE OF PRINCESS CELESTIA, AS WELL AS MULTIPLE ACTS OF TERRORISM, ASSAULT, PROPERTY DAMAGE AND MINOR FELONY CHARGES, INCLUDING THEFT, TRAIN ROBBERY AND DIRECTING LEWD GESTURES AT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS**

 **5000 BIT REWARD FOR ANY INFORMATION LEADING TO HIS ARREST**

Below the paragraph listing his crimes, in bold red print, was written;

 **WARNING! THIS CRIMINAL IS RECOGNIZED AS ENEMY OF THE STATE BY THE SOVERIEGN AND BEUROCRATIC AUTHORITY OF EQUESTRIA, AND AS SUCH SHOULD BE HANDLED WITH CAUTION. FUGITIVE IS ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IF SIGHTED,** **DO NOT APPROACH!** **LETHAL FORCE, ONLY IF NECESSARY (i.e. in the defence of oneself or anther's life), IS AUTHORIZED!**

' _My my, this_ is _an old one,'_ Twilight thought absentmindedly, in spite of her anger and confirmed fears. _'As I recall, the bounty is worth much more now.'_

"I don't care who you are," Colin said, his voice steely-calm, pulling Twilight out of her memories of James. "I don't care what you have to say, what explanation you have to give me. You or Celestia, for that matter. You had _no right_ to hide this from me. How long?" And when Twilight didn't immediately respond, he yelled, _"How long has he been here!?"_

"Four years!" Twilight said. "Almost five now."

"And you never thought that I'd find out?"

Twilight was speechless. For a long time, she didn't speak. She didn't respond. Finally, she spoke.

"You disobeyed my orders."

"And you _lied to my face,"_ Colin replied heatedly. In a louder tone he added, "All three of you."

"Don't you _DARE_ drag Spike into this!" Twilight roared at him, all that white-hot fury coming to a head again at Colin's thinly-veiled accusation towards the dragon, who responded by casting his eyes to the floor. "He had nothing to do with _any_ of this! You leave him out of it!"

Colin paused, and then turned from her. There was another long silence. Twilight had known what this revelation would mean, and now Colin said the words she was expecting.

"I'm leaving, Twilight," he told her. "I'm going to find this 'James Alistair' and ask him what he knows. Maybe he can shed some light on how to get home."

"No."

Colin turned. "Excuse me?"

"You," Twilight replied, "aren't going _anywhere."_

Colin stared at her. For a moment, there was a fleeting glimpse of hesitation in his eyes, but the anger returned. "Stop me," he dared her.

Which, in all fairness, might have not been the best choice of words.

Before Colin could make it three paces, there was a shimmering in the air, and a sudden smell, a petrichor stink, like the scent of rain just after a storm. The air crackled, and with no warning there was a feeling like his whole body was being pinched; as though every major nerve bundle and pressure point was caught in a vice. Colin was paralyzed, then he collapsed, and then everything went black.

* * *

Twilight looked over the prone, unconscious body of Colin. For a startling moment, she thought that she'd done her pressure-point attack too well and killed the hapless youth, but upon close inspection, the face-down human could be seen breathing.

"What did you do?" Spike asked. His worried expression told Twilight that he wasn't happy to see her do this.

"I…" Twilight actually had no idea what to tell him. The truth was, she'd panicked; she couldn't let Colin leave, not after what he'd learned. Besides, it was dawn now, and if the guards spotted him, they'd easily mistake him for James and attack. The forests would provide no sanctuary, with their myriad of vicious monsters stalking the dark corners of the world. Colin didn't even know what _James_ would do with him if they met.

 _Why? Why did this_ always _happen to_ her?

"Spike. Go find some rope," she told him.

"What!?" Spike cried. "No!"

"What do you mean, 'no'? Spike, he's going to wake up any second now—"

"Twilight," Spike said, and the mare paused to make eye contact with him, taking in the look of concern she was getting. "Think about this. Doesn't this all seem very familiar?"

Twilight's gaze alternated between Colin's splayed form and Spike's look of deep, genuine concern.

"Spike, listen," she explained. "I know what you mean, and I know why you're afraid for me. I understand. But if I were to allow Colin to leave, the results could be catastrophic. If he met James, for all we know he could kill him, or worse, train him and turn him loose as a soldier against us. I know what this reminds you of, but more importantly I know where I went wrong and I will never, _ever_ repeat it again. Okay?"

When Spike couldn't meet her eyes, Twilight gently brushed his face with her hoof to coax him into looking at her. "Okay?"

Hesitantly, Spike replied, "Okay." He quickly added, "But we don't keep him in a magic orb this time."

Twilight smiled. "No, we don't. We also need to call in the rest of the girls. But first, we need to tie him up. So, if you'd be so kind…"

Spike bent to the task and returned a minute later, but with enough reluctance to imply that he still wasn't okay with where this was going. Before long, the unconscious Colin was trussed down to a chair and surrounded by the six element bearers. Only then did the young man finally come to.

Colin stirred. His eyes fluttered open. And a moment later he was struggling against his bonds.

"What's happening?" he slurred. "What're you doing to me?"

"Until you come to your senses, Colin," Twilight told him, "You're staying where you are."

That response only made him struggle harder. "You can't do this!" he grunted.

"Actually," Twilight remarked, "I can. Celestia gave me strict orders to ensure you don't leave here."

"So what's the plan?" Colin asked bitterly. "You're going to keep me tied up and under watch? Break my legs if I try to escape? Is this how you treated _him?"_

Neither Twilight, Spike nor any of the other five horses in the room answered him.

"I want to see him," he said.

"Impossible," Twilight immediately replied. "James Alistair is hidden, for good reason, and through no small fault of his own. He's evaded even Celestia's sight for half a decade; if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. Even if you wanted to see him, neither you nor anypony else would know where to start."

"Fine," Colin replied. "Then I want to know about him."

Twilight stared intensely into Colin's eyes, yet for some reason Colin no longer felt the hesitance and fear that she presented to him every other time she'd given him the look. "You want to know about James Alistair?" she asked darkly. "I'll tell you who he is. James Alistair is a criminal. Do you believe, just by seeing his wanted poster, that he was some kind of rebel? A misunderstood man trying to make a living here?" she shook her head. "Did you even bother to _read_ what was on the page? No. James Alistair is a walking agent of chaos. He has no friends. He has no family. He doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself and his survival. I had to stand by helplessly as he attempted to _end the lives_ of my friends and everyone I held most dear."

Colin looked directly in Twilight's eyes, and saw a great well of hatred and bitterness. But more importantly, he saw something else behind it. He saw pain.

And fear.

Colin suddenly remembered that the poster mentioned an attempt on her life by Alistair. It made his stomach twist into a knot just thinking about it.

"There was never a chance for James Alistair in society," Twilight concluded, "Because James Alistair never wanted that chance. He had the choice to help his cause and perhaps become a hero to the people here, and he chose to be nothing more than a brute. So that's what he is, Colin. That's _who_ he is." The look in her eyes turned back to their typical, harsh coldness. "So you still want to go looking for him?"

Colin could only sit silently, processing what Twilight had said. From what she and the poster had told him, James was exactly as she'd described; a violent sociopath. The way they'd talked about him gave an image in Colin's mind; the image of a man, bulky with muscle, clad in nothing but mud and furs, a necklace of pegasus feathers and horse teeth around his neck, slinking through the brush like some animal stalking his prey. But, on the other hand, Colin would only ever get one side of the story from Twilight. For all he knew, James could know something about getting back home.

It was a long shot, but a man who'd lived here for five years would have learned from this world, right?

"…Yes," Colin admitted, "I do. Twilight, if James lived here for half a decade, he could know something about how to find a way back."

Finally, one of the horses – an orange one with a distinct hat and a (somehow) freckled face, scoffed. "If he knew even the slightest thing 'bout gettin' back to his home turf," she said dismissively, "He'd be there by now."

"Yeah," Rainbow added, "and good luck trying to get even one word from him. Wild Timberwolves couldn't drag his _name_ out of him if he wanted to keep it from them."

"Well," Colin rationalized, "perhaps he knows how, but doesn't have the means to. And perhaps _you_ might not be able to talk to him, but maybe _I_ could if I just had the chance to find him."

A marshmallow-white mare with finely-curled purple hair let out a timid chuckle. "Darling," she replied in an almost patronizing tone, "That's not going to happen."

"She's right," the fourth, a pink mare with a frizzy, poofy mane added. "James is like, _way_ hostile. And really good at hide-and-seek."

Colin expected the last mare, a soft yellow one with a gently combed pink mane, to add her two cents, but she remained silent.

"So, Colin, what will it be?" Twilight asked. "I can't let you leave, and you seem intent on going."

Colin's mind was made up. "If there's even the remote possibility that this James knows anything about our past, I'm going to at least try to find him."

Twilight looked piteously at him. "Then I apologise, Colin," she said. "But you're going to stay tied up."


	17. Chapter 16

_This life ain't easy, nor is it luxurious, painless or without risk. Not by a long shot._

 _I came to terms with that long ago._

 _With my lifestyle, I've naturally ended up with many,_ many _rules that I follow in order to preserve my life and wellbeing, if only for just another day. I have them listed on the inside cover of this beat-up hardcover journal, so that every time I open it up I can take a good, hard look at them and remind myself that if I choose not to follow even one of them, I'm taking a risk. To list them all would be redundant, not to mention extensive, but they range from mundane to severe._

 _Another thing my lifestyle, hell, my general existence here has taught me, is skills. The ponies like to erroneously assume that all I'm good for is killing their people, razing their home and generally making a mess of things, and they're right, I'm damn good at that. But they neglect to realize that when you're the only member of your species on an alien world… you learn to sew._

 _My jacket is made from some kind of insulated leather; built to last. I wear it year-round, except for on the hottest summer days. My belt and boots are similarly strong, and a good thing, too, as finding a new pair of shoes would be a nightmare. My pants are patchy, and will probably need to be replaced soon, and the shirt I was sent here with? Torn to hell years ago. I make my own clothing, now, out of linens, or fleece, like what I'm wearing now in the cold, winter months. Not fashionable, and they get itchy sometimes, but they serve their purpose. Better than nothing._

 _To bring myself back from the tangent I just went on, my point is that living here has allowed me to learn new skills and adapt the ones I already have. One of my strong suits?_

 _Getting into places where people don't want me to be._

 _There's just a few things I need first. Looks like I'll be paying a visit to Lyra again much sooner._

* * *

Colin had been sitting in the chair for roughly four hours, judging by the clock up in the corner.

He hadn't bothered to try and get free of his bonds; it would be a pointless gesture. Colin had no doubt that he could get out of the ropes if he really, truly tried to, but what then? He'd be at a loss for what to do, and he reckoned that whatever plan he tried would inevitably encounter error. Considering what the extent of Celestia's power was, he could only imagine Twilight's abilities, or that of her friends, for that matter. His best bet was to wait this out and try to convince Twilight he wasn't the villain. He had no intention of becoming enemies with her.

He thought of the other human, James. Just like with everything else, he could only wonder how he managed to last so long here, let alone garner such notoriety. His wanted poster made him out to be some kind of tough-as-nails outlaw, and that made Colin's mind wander. Was he a seafaring pirate? An ill-reputable gangster? A wandering gunslinger? Whichever it was, Colin couldn't help but feel awed at his ability to survive… _anything_ and _everything_ this world could apparently throw at him.

 _Five years. Alone._

"Hello?"

The voice pulled Colin from his daydream, but only barely, as it was so quiet he scarcely heard and acknowledged it. He looked around, realizing his eyes had been fixed on the clock for the past two minutes, and saw one of the mares from earlier. She was the one that hadn't spoken, a soft yellow pony with a gentle pink mane long enough to brush the ground from her head. Her eyes were huge, and a bright blue, and they had a timid, almost frightened look to them, and yet they were somehow so unnerving that Colin couldn't bear to keep eye contact for more than a second or two no matter how hard he tried.

"I-I'm…" the mare stuttered. As intimidating as her gaze was, Colin got the sense that she was just as frightened of him as he was of them. If the moment he'd looked into Twilight's eyes earlier hadn't already put things into perspective, it did now. The mare cleared her throat. "Twilight… said you were hurt on the way back."

She was keeping her distance from Colin, which didn't help his hearing at all. "Sorry?" he asked. "Could you repeat that?"

The mare paused. "Twilight said you got hurt," she repeated, fractionally louder than before.

Colin didn't focus on her eyes, but he looked in her general direction. "Yes, actually," he told her. "Why do you ask?"

On that note, the mare trotted closer, slowly and gingerly, as though she expected Colin to suddenly jump out of his ties and attack. When it was clear he wasn't going to do that, she closed the distance and eyed him with suspicion and aversion.

"She told me it was your leg," the mare informed Colin.

"She was right," Colin confirmed.

There was a pause, a short hesitation before she continued. "If I untie that leg…" she stopped short, then repeated, "If I untie that leg, will you kick me, or try to escape?"

"What?" the question had caught him off-guard. "Why would I—"

"Just promise me you won't try anything," she said quickly.

Colin did his best to look her in the eye when he said, "I promise you I won't."

Satisfied with that, the mare untied Colin's leg and began to examine his knee. It felt great having the pressure lifted from it, as there had been a dull ache on that spot for quite some time. The process had to have only taken ten seconds, but it seemed to last much longer, and Colin yearned to stretch out his leg so it was more comfortable, but he wanted to keep his promise to the mare and as such kept it still.

' _Will it really matter,'_ he thought doubtfully, _'if I stay still? It's not like she's going to relay this to Twilight, right? And even if she does, it won't warrant Twilight untying me, not by a long shot. She seems bent on one outcome and one only; she wants to hear me say I won't go looking for Alistair.'_

"It's sprained," the mare concluded. "Or at least, I think it is. It should be fine in a day or two, but it will heal much faster with comfort and ice." She looked up at him. "I'll see if I can get you some."

As she turned to leave, however, Colin decided to ask her something.

"Wait."

The mare turned. "Y..y-yes?" she asked, the timidity returning to her voice.

"I'm sorry," he asked her. "I know that you won't like what I'm about to ask, but… I have to know." He nodded at the desk where James's wanted poster still sat. "Is this how they treated him?"

The mare didn't respond for a long time, and Colin thought that she was going to leave him in silence. Instead, she spoke. It wasn't an answer, but it was something.

"None of us are going to hurt you," she told him, "as long as you act like you just did with me right now. We don't mean any harm to anypony as long as they don't try to hurt any of us, and Twilight knows that the most."

"Then prove it," Colin pleaded. "Have her let me go. Please."

The mare looked at Colin with a hint of pity in her eyes. Finally, she managed a ghost of a smile; it was fragile, almost melancholic, but it was sincere.

"I'll talk to them," she promised him. "Okay… Colin?"

Colin nodded, confirming his name. Oddly enough, the mare nodded back.

"I'm Fluttershy," she said, and left Colin to stretch out his leg.

* * *

"Would it kill you to knock!?" Lyra reprimanded between relieved breaths.

In all fairness, sneaking in was never a good idea for James.

He had made the mistake of coming in of his own accord, deciding that Lyra would be jaded to it by now, as he'd done so quite a few times before. This assumption turned out to be incorrect, as the moment he entered, his first step inside caused the floorboard to creak beneath his boot. As dusk had only started to approach, she hadn't gotten around to turning some more lights on, and James simply traveled lightly on his feet by reflex at this point, so his arrival was unexpected and startling. She had responded by shouting in alarm and firing a pulse into his chest, sending James slamming into the wall, where he knocked a pair of framed photos down and slumped against the floor.

"Why are you back?" she continued. Lyra leaned in, and her face suddenly contorted in disgust as she recoiled back. " _Eugh!_ And why do you smell like sewage?"

"Oh… c- _cough-_ ome on!" James gasped between coughing fits, as the blow had winded him. "I sp- _cough-_ spent hours- _kaff kaff-_ trying to get that- _wheeze-_ stink off!"

Slowly, the two began to chuckle, then to laugh, until a knock came at the door. A concerned neighbor had arrived to see if Lyra was okay, what with all the ruckus they'd caused, and Lyra reassured them she was alright while James crawled out of sight and stayed hidden, having finally caught his breath. James watched as the door closed, Lyra trotted back into view and set the pictures back up against the wall.

"You startled me," she accused him.

"And I'm sorry," James apologised. "I bet you weren't expecting me to come back so soon, yeah?"

"No. So what's the reason, Jim? Need a place to crash for a day or two? We still have the hay pile in the attic from when you stayed over last time."

"Well, no, actually…" James's expression became serious. "There's something I need to tell you. There's another," he said immediately.

Lyra frowned. "It was in the jungle, right?" she asked. "That was all over the news yesterday. I thought you'd gotten hold of it; did the guardsponies get to it before you?"

"No, Lyra," James said, "Not the shards. There's _another."_

As the realization settled into Lyra, her eyes somehow managed to grow bigger and bigger until James thought they'd pop out of her head. "Oh. Oh my…"

For a moment, it seemed his friend was at a loss for words. "You need a moment to let it sink in?" James asked.

"No! No, James, that's… that's wonderful!" Lyra beamed. "So, where are they?"

"I… what?" James's head cocked to the side, confused by Lyra's question.

"Where are they?" she repeated. "Oh! What's their name?"

"Oh, Lyra, I—"

"When did they show up? Recently, I bet." The mint-coloured pony was getting more excited by the minute. "What do they look like?"

"Lyra, please—"

"Are they friendly, or a sourball, you know, like you?"

"Hilarious, now if you'd please—"

Lyra leaned in close, a smug grin on her face. "Is she a _girl?"_ she jabbed.

"No! I mean, I don't know that—goddamn it, Lyra, would you just sit down and listen?"

But she was too busy giggling at James's reaction to her previous comment, and in spite of the seriousness he had meant to convey, James grinned. After a moment to collect herself, Lyra was sitting in her chair, listening to James's account of the events of the past few days. He told her all of it; the raid in the Forbidden Jungle, the sandstorm, his infiltration of Canterlot and conversation with Celestia.

"…And when I left, Celestia screamed something at me about how I know what this all means," James concluded finally.

Lyra looked agitated. "…And do you?"

James nodded. "It means Ophidian is at it again," he explained grimly. "It means he's sent down another emissary to do his dirty work. Why they were sent, what purpose they serve, I'm sure I don't know. But it doesn't bode well at all. For _any_ of us."

There was an uncomfortable silence around the room. Lyra shifted. "So… so what are you going to do about it?" she asked finally.

James hesitated for a moment before answering. "He's here, Lyra. As much as you may think Celestia is trying to mislead me, I know he's here. It's the _only_ place she'd ever send him, the only place she'd know I'd never risk going to aside from Canterlot. Manehattan, Tall Tale, even the Crystal Empire where Cadence and Shining Armor would provide just as much of a threat—I've gotten into and out of them all. She knows I can crack their defenses; she knows that the best chance of capturing me is sending me here."

"Then don't do it!" Lyra protested. "James, if Celestia knows all of this, then she has to have planned for your arrival. They're probably waiting to ambush you right now!"

"You may be right," James countered. "But there's a problem with that. If I can't get to this human—whoever they are—then I can't find out what they know. I can't piece together Ophidian's plan."

"Yes, you can," Lyra said. "I don't think you've ever come across a plan you haven't circumvented on your own."

"All the more reason for you not to be worried about me."

"Don't you see? This is a trap! It has to be! Why would you go through with it?"

The look James gave Lyra was one of pain and regret, and Lyra suddenly remembered why. James hadn't told her what happened, not immediately, but when he did, it had rattled around in her mind for days.

"I've been at the mercy of a unicorn before," James said; for once, there was a tremble in his voice, one of anger and deeply-rooted fear. "If it means sparing someone else the fate that befell me, I would lay down my life."

There was another pause, this time more melancholic than before.

"Go," Lyra told him. "But for both your and my sake, please be careful."

James sighed, and rose from his seat. "I promise you I'm going to walk away from this," he replied. "But I'm going to need something first."

* * *

Things were okay. They weren't great, but they were okay. After all, when times get tough, it always helps to look on the bright side of things.

For instance, Colin may have been tied up, but hey, at least he had a cushion under his foot and an ice pack taped to his knee now. So he had that going for him.

There had been no luck in trying to convince Twilight to let him go. For some reason, she seemed adamant that Colin had to stay trussed down to this chair, no doubt under constant watch. Contact with the others had become almost null, aside from his conversation with Fluttershy and a visit from the white mare, Rarity, who'd stopped by to feed him his dinner. She'd said nothing, instead opting to feed him celery and potatoes; because his arms were tied, he couldn't do it himself, forcing her to lift up the food telekinetically and send it into his mouth. It felt humiliating, but Rarity didn't seem to judge, or mind at all, for that matter.

He missed talking to Spike. The little dragon had been highly social with him, where Twilight had been cold and adverse towards his presence since the start. She regarded him with hostility and anger, not to mention fear. She'd treated him like he was a bad presence, and now like a prisoner, and yet he'd done nothing at all, except show a curiosity to the world around him.

It made him wonder exactly what happened between her and Alistair. The way she'd described him… he had hurt her, badly, and not just in a physical way.

Finally, Twilight entered the room to speak to him again. She had Rainbow, Rarity, and the orange mare in tow, but the pink one and Fluttershy were nowhere to be seen. Colin didn't like the look of this; the bulky orange mare, the athletic Rainbow and Rarity, the only other unicorn he'd seen, looked far more threatening than the other two. But instead of advancing in unison, Twilight approached him alone as the other three lingered back, concern on their features.

"We've talked things over," Twilight said. "It took us all day to do it, but we've managed it. And we put our opinions to a vote."

"Okay," Colin replied. "And what was the vote for?"

"It was to decide whether or not you'd stay in that chair." Twilight began to explain the various opinions her friends had. "Pinkie Pie was all set to let you go from the beginning; she said that you seemed like a decent person, and that we could trust you. Nevermind that she had no prior evidence to back up her claim, but she defended you. But Applejack, over there"—she paused to gesture at the orange mare—"Applejack said that you should stay put. She was concerned you'd get into her orchard and steal her apples."

When Colin didn't respond, she continued.

"Rarity was on the fence about it for the longest time, I admit; she went back and forth as the meeting continued, but she eventually decided that you'd be better off here under our watchful eyes. Fluttershy wanted you untied, said that keeping you ensnared would cause more harm than good. And she almost managed to turn everyone's opinion, I'll admit that too. So it came down to Rainbow Dash."

"And what was her verdict?" Colin asked. "She can't tell me herself?"

Twilight didn't answer the biting remark. Instead she delivered the judgement.

"We ultimately ruled four against two, in favour of keeping you tied," she told him. "Fluttershy and Pinkie are good ponies; they can manage to find the good in anyone. But it doesn't mean they can ignore the bad. As for the rest of us, we've all had experience with you—"

"With Alistair."

Twilight gave a quizzical expression, as though raising an invisible eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You mean you've had experience with Alistair," Colin corrected her. "And you're jumping to the conclusion that I'm just like him."

Twilight's mouth twitched. "Let me make this clear," she told him. "Continue to mention him and I'll decide not to tell you what else happened."

Colin's frustration reached its peak. "Why aren't the people who defended me here as well?" he questioned. "This entire 'hearing' of yours reeks of _bias!_ You _want_ me tied up, so why don't you just make it so? You're _princess,_ after all!"

Twilight's eyes screwed shut. She sat there for a moment, trembling, before finally she let out a deep sigh. "You're right," she admitted. "Which is why, as our meeting adjourned, Fluttershy spoke up again. And this time she brought up something very important." Twilight made a pause, took a breath, and continued. This time, her expression was one of sincere regret.

"She said that if we do this, if we decide to keep you locked up in here, bound and unwilling, it would do nothing but make us just as bad as the people we fight. It would go against everything we've been through as friends. And… and it would go against everything that makes me who I am now, everything I've ever learned. Ever since I've arrived here, I've owed everything to my friends and those who supported me." Twilight swallowed. "Yeah, James Alistair is a bad person," she said. "But I'm the _Princess of Friendship._ My goal is to make sure that everyone can live in harmony with one another, and it isn't just my duty to help that goal along as much as I can. It's what I value most; harmony. Friendship. Magic. And I will never abandon those values again. Not for anything."

Colin didn't say anything; he had no words to respond with.

"So," Twilight concluded. "I guess this is a long-winded way of saying… I'm sorry."

For a long time there was a deafening silence. It honestly took Colin a moment to realize that Twilight was waiting for him to say something.

"Apology accepted," he told her. "So, does this mean you're going to untie me now?"

"Yes," Twilight said, and for once she gave Colin a warm smile. "And, I'll see what I can do about getting you somewhere you can go during the day. Somewhere that isn't here. Maybe in a couple of days we could go up to Canterlot and visit Celestia again. But you have to promise me that you'll stay within my sight, and don't go astray. Deal?"

Colin smiled. "Deal," he replied.

But just as Colin said the word, there came a knock at the door. Twilight looked confused.

"Perhaps it's Fluttershy," she rationalized. "She said she wanted to see you again. Rarity, could you be so kind as to quickly unite Colin and come with me?"

"Sure," Rarity replied. And just like that, Colin's bonds were off, and he was left behind to make small talk with Rainbow and Applejack.

When Twilight opened the front door, there was nopony there. For a moment she assumed it was some punk neighborhood kid playing tricks, but her opinion changed when she noticed a small package lying on the ground at her hooves. Lifting it up, Twilight brought the box to her head….

 _Tick, tick, tick, tick…_

"BOMB!" Twilight screamed, and without hesitation the package was thrown a safe distance from the castle and was locked under a magic field. Rarity added her power to the field, and Twilight became confident that they'd be able to hold the blast together. The next few seconds passed with gut-pulling tension….

And there was a ringing. No explosion came.

"What in…" Rarity stopped short as Twilight lifted the box and opened it from afar. Turning it over, the package emptied its contents; a simple alarm clock. It landed with a _crack,_ and the ringing stopped. It was a trick.

No.

It was a _diversion._

* * *

Colin heard a shout from the front door. He couldn't quite make it out, as they were all the way up in the library, but it sounded like one of alarm.

"Just what in tarnation's goin' on down there?" Applejack said. She began to make her way to the door when something crashed through the window above and landed in the middle of the room. It looked like some kind of makeshift firecracker that had been lit, and was smoking wildly.

In fact, it was smoking so much that it began to fill the room, fast. Soon Colin had no way of seeing a foot in front of him. The glass shattered, louder this time, and something heavy landed with a rolling _thud._

" _Good evening, ladies!"_ a voice said cheerfully.

Something streaked through the smoke, bolting upward towards the ceiling. Colin could make out Dash above him, but something shot up through the smoke after her, what looked like an arrow with some kind of huge, heavy tip.

"Colin, RUN—OOFH!" The yell was cut short as the pegasus was struck hard in the stomach and went tumbling down to the ground with a loud bang.

There was another sound of impact and a grunt from Applejack, as her body crashed to the floor as well. Then silence….

And then suddenly there was a face staring at him through the smoke. It was ugly and scarred, and grinning ear to ear.

"Hey fella," the human said, ignoring Colin's cry of alarm as he suddenly leered out of the fog. "No time to explain, but we need to get out of dodge, you with me? Good!" and suddenly a very confused and flustered Colin was being led by the arm out of the smoke and through the castle, until they were out the back door in the cold.

"Okay, so, we're going to go…" the human paused.

"Wh-where are you taking me!?" Colin shouted, the first words he'd said to him.

"Be patient, I'm still trying to figure that out!" the human protested nonchalantly, as though Colin had badgered him for directions. "We're going to go, uh, left!" and off they went again, Colin limping as fast as he could to keep up behind him.

"I don't—" Colin stammered. "I can't—who—can _somebody PLEASE tell me what's going on!"_

The boy looked back at him, the strange grin splitting his features again. "Relax, pal," he said. "All in due time. But for now, we're outta here!"

Closer and closer, the boy led Colin to the forest Twilight was talking about earlier, the one she had said was dangerous. Colin's leg burned, but for some reason he didn't try resist the other human's pull. There was shouts and the implication that they were being chased, but Colin didn't have the time to look behind him before they were in the forest. They didn't stop until the shouts had diminished to nothing, and finally Colin decided to stop in his tracks.

"WAIT!" he screamed. "WAIT JUST A DAMN MINUTE!"

"Woah, hey now, keep it down," the other guy replied. "We're not the only ones out here, or the biggest."

Colin stared incredulously at him. He already knew the answer, but it didn't stop him from asking, "Who are you?"

The guy paused. Then he grinned again, and struck a match on a nearby tree.

"Here's a hint," he said. "I'm the criminal. But you can call me James."


	18. Chapter 17

"I _hate_ him, Fluttershy!"

"No you don't."

" _I HATE HIM!"_

"Twilight, you _just_ had a moment with Colin where you said you _wouldn't_ be like this, please don't ruin it so soon…"

Twilight Sparkle paced her library in silent, fuming fury. The smoke had been cleared out with the greatest of ease, that is, once she and Rarity managed to magically funnel it out of the room. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had come to, and were shaking off their daze; apparently, James had shot them both with arrows that had been crudely tipped with heavy sweet potatoes, which had stunned them into unconsciousness. As she vented, Fluttershy absentmindedly swept up the bits of glass, Spike trailing behind her with a dustpan to catch the shards.

"I mean… look on the bright side, Twilight," Pinkie said from the desk. "Nopony was hurt!"

"He… he came in here, _again…_ he broke my window! And now Colin's _gone!_ Why? Why must he wreck _everything!?_ I _JUST_ APOLOGISED! Do you have ANY idea how much _effort_ that took me?"

"Well…" Dash paused. It looked like she was simultaneously worried about how her friend was acting and about to burst out laughing from how undoubtedly silly she looked in her overreaction. "It's not like we can't salvage this. This is just a setback."

" _Setback?"_ Twilight said. "This is a _disaster!_ How will we locate Alistair? We have no idea where to start!" With a sudden, desperate gasp, Twilight's eyes widened in abject terror. _"What am I gonna tell Celestia?"_

As she was standing there, her mouth pursed shut, eyes wide, shaking, Rarity suddenly approached her. "Twilight, Darling?" she asked, offering a soft cushion.

And Twilight grabbed the pillow with her mind, mashed it against her face, and let loose a muffled, primal scream. For a few seconds, she stood there breathing into the cushion, slowing with every breath, until finally she gently set it down and looked much calmer.

"There," Fluttershy said. "Now doesn't that make you feel better?"

"I… yes. Yes, actually, it does. Thank you." Reassuringly, Twilight glanced around at her friends with a grin, and they grinned back.

"Okay," Pinkie said immediately after, "so… now what? James and Colin are both out in the wind by now. We don't have a place to start looking, either."

"Not quite true," Applejack mentioned, "there's the Everfree. We go after 'em now, there's no chance they'd've run that far. Then we welcome Colin back—and drag Alistair with us on a tether."

"Oh, no," Rarity disagreed. "I, for one, am not going to fall for that trick again. Sneaking out in the dead of night into the most dangerous place in the local area is bad enough. But you seem to be forgetting that James is in his element out there."

"I have to agree with Rarity, Applejack," Rainbow added. "It will be dark, filled with hazards, and that place is practically James's home field. Advantage would be his."

"Well said," Twilight said. "As much as I'd love to go for him now, James would have countless opportunities to separate us and pick us off, and he probably wouldn't need to do it himself; there are beasts in the forest, and who knows how many traps he's set out there. What we need to do is find a way to gain the upper hoof over him."

"So we wait," Spike suggested. "James is constantly on the move, right? What with being sighted all over Equestria and all. So we rest up and try to find him later, when he's moving."

"But we have no leads!" Pinkie complained. "No idea where he'd be going."

"Also," Rarity added. "Isn't there somepony going after James already? 'Thundershield', or some such?"

Dash scoffed. "Bang-up job _he's_ doing."

Ignoring the scathing comment from her, Twilight made a decision. "Okay, so we don't know where James is going. We don't know what plans he has for Colin. But we know he's constantly mobile, and we know that Colin will hopefully be slowing him down. So, here's what we'll do…"

* * *

"You're James Alistair?"

"The one and only," said the filthy drifter with a wolfish grin. "I'm not quite sure if you told me your name. You remember it, yeah?"

"It's Colin."

"Got a last name, Colin?" James asked.

"No. I can't remember it."

"Ain't that the truth." James huffed, and looked around. "Look, every second we stay out here, we're vulnerable to attack. Come on, I've got a place we can crash nearby; it's not much, but it's home for me."

Without waiting for Colin to react, he turned on his heel and started marching off across the leaf-carpeted ground. Colin had no choice but to keep up and take a good look at the man walking beside him.

James had to be at least three or four years older than Colin, and he stood a head taller than him. He had an ugly scar across his face, starting above his right eye and raggedly arcing across his nose, where it ended below his left. He had a wild, unshaven look about him, and his light-blue eyes shifted her and there, constantly scanning his surroundings for any signs of… anything, it seemed. His clothing consisted of a worn, heavy leather jacket, thick jean pants, and what looked like work or combat boots. A hooded poncho was set about his shoulders, and James had apparently fastened metal plates, connected by a hinge, over the toes and lacings of his boots up to the tongue. Colin looked down at his own apparel; his simple short sleeved shirt, his wool breeches and his loafers. Compared to James, he looked underdressed.

"Something the matter, Colin?"

"Sorry?" Colin asked, the question catching him off-guard.

James didn't look at him. In fact, he didn't even take his eyes off his looking around. "You're cold, right? I'd be surprised if you weren't. It won't be much further."

"Listen, uh…"

"James."

"Yeah, I know that, but, I was just wondering…"

James finally made eye contact with him. Perhaps he was content that nothing was out there. "What is it?"

"…Who are you, anyway?" Colin asked.

James seemed uncomfortable with the question. He looked back to the forest ahead; how he could see in such darkness, Colin couldn't tell. "Listen, Colin, I know you must be very confused, and very scared right now. I don't blame you at all, because things are about to get much worse. But right now, we need to prioritize. And right now, the priority we have is sleep. So, tomorrow, I'll wake you up, and then we have much to talk about, you and I. I guarantee you I'll tell you everything then, but for now…"

James stopped, and Colin stopped with him, in front of a huge tree on the edge of a swamp. The massive trunk had an opening, impossible to notice until James pulled aside a curtain of reeds.

"Welcome to my home," he said. "Or, at least, _one_ of my homes."

Colin crawled in first, followed by James. The inside of the tree was actually quite cozy, if a bit cramped. The bark walls were thick, and provided a nice amount of protection from the elements. A rug had been laid across the dirt floor, and it was clear the tree had been dug out to make more room. A bedroll was set out, and James offered it for Colin to sleep in. There was a nail in the trunk above, from which had been hung an oil-lamp, and James didn't hesitate to light that up with a match from his pocket. A lumpy backpack was slumped against the wall, and James laid on the tarp using it as a pillow while Colin zipped up the bedroll. Colin suddenly noticed that it had begun to rain lightly outside.

"You're going to sleep like that?" he asked James.

James nodded against his bag-pillow. "Yep."

"But isn't it uncomfortable?"

"Believe me, kid, I'll manage."

Colin looked at James, and realized he wasn't going to get anything else out of him. Figuring he'd hold James to his promise tomorrow, he rolled over and closed his eyes.

"And Colin?" James suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Welcome to Equestria," was all he said before he rolled over as well. Soon they were both asleep.

* * *

"Alistair knows. And that means he's going to get to Colin, one way or the other."

Thundershield would not lie to his forces; he knew how James acted. For the most part, the fugitive stayed where he belonged, as far away from society and civilization as possible. But when it came down to the wire, when James truly needed something, there wasn't a single thing on the planet that would be enough to deter him. Currently he and his unit were encamped in the plains east of Ponyville, so unfortunately they were unable to do anything about it.

"We are not yet able to determine whether Alistair found and collected his mark or not," he continued, "and we won't be able to know until Celestia confirms it. If probability is kind, we'll be watching James from a cell by tomorrow morning. If not… worse for him than us."

There were nods and murmurs of agreement as Thundershield looked over the group. Only Gladeshine and Razorplume refused to meet his gaze. He didn't have time to deal with them; for now, the sharp reprimand he'd given them earlier would do. The Equestrian officer had been so eager to throw Gladeshine under the carriage that she repeatedly mentioned it was his letter that informed James of Colin's existence; she shut up right quick after Thundershield told her that she was just as likely to be discharged as the ranger was.

"Our plan is simple," he continued. "We divide into two teams; Stormhammer and I will be leading group A towards the east along what we have mapped of his routine route. While we're on that route, we'll have a brief stop in Ponyville to consult Twilight Sparkle and ask her what she knows and how she can aid us, if possible. Group B, which will be led by Gladeshine and Razorplume, will go west along the same mapped-out route that we've seen him traveling. Both groups will make frequent stops in any towns, cities or villages to poke around for any signs of Alistair and resupply on equipment and rations."

"Sir," one of the younger soldiers in the unit piped up. "Permission to speak?"

"Granted, but make it quick."

"Alistair has been proven to have a high degree of cunning," the soldier said. "Not to question your orders, sir, which I'm certain are quite grounded in reason and well-thought-out, but…"

"Speak your mind, soldier, we don't have all day."

The soldier paused. "Sir, Alistair has evaded us since our inception. How do you figure we're going to capture him now?"

The expression of worry on the youth's face told Tundershield that he expected him to blow up at the boy for questioning his methods. Instead, he calmly replied, "Easy, son. Alistair was trying to hide from us for all this time; he's not trying to hide now, he's trying to find answers. He'll be throwing himself into ever riskier environments in pursuit of those answers, and on top of that he now has a straggler weighing him down."

Thundershield directed his next words to the entire group. "I want any information you find relayed back to me, is that clear? Daily reports of what's going on, and that goes for both the troops at my side and the ones across the country. If Alistair comes up for air, I intend to know. If he makes a mistake, I intend to be ready. If you so much as spot him, I want a detailed description of it. Clear?"

" _Yes sir!"_ the group answered in unison.

"Good. Dismissed!"

As the groups split up, Thundershield was somewhat irritated by the approach of Gladeshine, who no doubt wanted to complain about his partnership.

"Before you ask," he told the ranger, "I'm not considering switching Stormhammer out for you in my group."

"It's clear we don't like each other," Gladeshine protested. "Why bother putting us in the same squad? It will only cause more interferences."

"Consider it your punishment. I can tell you now, Razorplume likes this as much as you do. Besides, I need a fast method of getting word back to me; your falcon fits the bill perfectly."

"Thundershield—"

"Don't question this, mercenary," the commander said darkly. "Not this time."

Gladeshine sighed. "Alright. It doesn't mean I have to enjoy it."

"I'm not asking you to."

"In the meantime. What are we to do with the two of them?"

"You mean Alistair and Colin?"

Gladeshine nodded. "Yes."

Thundershield paused. "For Alistair? Same orders as before; kill on sight. Don't object—I'll see to it you're paid in full if the bounty doesn't pull through. I know it's not a dead-or-alive situation, and I'll handle it, I promise you that."

"And the other one?"

Thundershield shifted uncomfortably. "Colin's got the favour of Celestia; for some reason or another, she sees something in that outlandish creature. Show a little bit more restraint with him. Do whatever it takes to bring him to me alive—and unspoiled."

As the mercenary turned away, Thundershield stopped him one last time.

"But Gladeshine?"

"Yeah?" the ranger looked back.

"Colin is youthful, and youths are impressionable," he explained. "Alistair can easily poison his mind with lies and turn him against us, and if we kill James without provocation, his testimony could actually convince the Princess."

A cold drop fell on Gladeshine's cloak. And then another one landed on his flank, a sharp freezing feeling. It was beginning to rain. The commander's eyes bored into the mercenary, in the same way they did the night he was recruited, the night after the Tall Tale incident. The way they stared through him made Gladeshine shiver, and that wasn't an easy thing to do.

"If it turns out that Colin will fight for Alistair," he said grimly. "If he becomes a threat to you or anyone else. If there's even a hint in his eyes that he'll try to clear James's name, we can't risk it."

"Sir." Gladeshine asked. "What are you asking me to do?"

"It's an order, ranger, not a request," he said. The look in his eyes was one of dead seriousness, the kind only those with full intention could pull off.

"If Colin allies with James Alistair, and it's apparent he won't be silenced," Thundershield said quietly. "You cut him down too."

* * *

 _Celestia,_

 _I have no doubt that you're dealing with your own problems by now, but this is a very urgent matter that I've felt should be relayed to you as fast as possible._

 _As you're aware of, since we've signed the treaty with the Yaks, we've been allowed to open up mining operations in the Yaket Range. For the longest time we've gone without incident, but a few days ago I received news from a mining team about something very peculiar._

 _The message was sent, with haste, directly to me in the wee hours of morning, and it's clear it was written with great concern and perhaps desperation. Shining had intercepted it before me (he says hello, by the way), and his worries seem to be much more intense than mine. He fears it has something to do with the Incident roughly four years ago. I can't say I was a part of that as much as I should've been, so I'm going to listen to my husband._

 _The note didn't say much about what the mining team found; a good chunk of it was a request for aid, military aid that is, to escort something—or some_ one— _back here for containment and questioning. Of course, I sent out the force immediately._

 _As of my writing this letter to you, none of them have either returned or contacted anyone._

 _I'm sitting in my study right now, Shining at my side, with my stomach twisted into a knot; I'm afraid that something has happened to the mining team and the troops sent to look for them. The Yaks have sent an envoy by now, and they seem content with my reassurance that we had nothing to do with this, but only time will tell. I'm wondering if James Alistair has decided to visit these parts, but the team of ponies you have looking for him haven't shown up to warn me yet. The city is under lock and key, nopony is allowed to leave, and that's not doing any good either. Just write back to me as soon as you are able; I'd feel much safer knowing you're aware of what's going on._

 _With love,_

 _Cadance_


	19. Chapter 18

Colin awoke to the smell of burnt wood.

Rubbing his eyes, he shifted in the bedroll to look at where the other human, James, had been sleeping, only to find that neither he nor the backpack he'd used as a pillow were there; the burning-wood smell was coming from outside the hideaway the two had slept in. Colin sat up, let the morning daze fizz away, and finally crawled outside to see what was going on.

"Morning, pal," James greeted him before Colin could react. He'd lit a small bonfire about ten feet from his tree, and was using a cast-iron pan to cook eggs over it. "Good news; the eggs weren't smashed to crap when we made our exit last night, so we get to eat an actual meal this morning."

Colin rubbed his eyes again. "What time is it?" he asked.

"About ten to nine," James replied. "I was up around seven-thirty, but I figured I'd let you get your beauty sleep, on account of it being your first day out here." He flipped one of the eggs with a spatula before continuing. "I'd say your breakfast is ready, but I figured you'd want them done a certain way, so I'm making mine first. Personally, I like them over-easy."

Before long the two of them were sitting at opposite ends of the fire-pit eating eggs off of wooden plates. James had scrambled Colin's eggs as he had requested of him. Colin didn't know what to say to him; it wasn't that he didn't have questions for James, he had _plenty_ of them. It was just that he wasn't quite sure what to make of him yet. Last night, James had snuck into a town that apparently hated and feared him, occupied by a being with far more power than he could ever dream of, and led Colin by the hand into this forest.

And now they were eating breakfast at a campsite as though none of that ever happened.

"You feelin' alright, Colin?"

Colin was pulled out of his thoughts to look up at James, who had just stuffed the last bite of egg into his mouth. "You haven't finished your eggs, is all," he mentioned.

"Sorry, it's just…" Colin wondered for a moment. "How old are you?"

James paused, swallowed his food, and shifted as though that were a tough thought. "Well, see, I can't really pinpoint that," he explained. "But I'm not _that_ old. If I had to favour a guess, I'd say I was… nineteen? Maybe twenty?"

"So, if you've been here for about four years, then…"

James nodded. "I would've been about fifteen or sixteen when I first arrived. Suppose Twilight told you about me?"

"Well," Colin began to finish his eggs as he replied, "not exactly."

James's eyes narrowed with suspicion and what Colin decided to be sadness. "Put you through the wringer, did they?" he asked quietly.

When Colin didn't answer immediately, James quickly cast his gaze down to the ground. "I'm sorry," he said. "That wasn't a question I'd expect you to answer. Say," he added, changing the subject, "It's been about twenty minutes, yeah? We should probably get going soon."

"What?" Colin asked. "Why? And where are we going?"

James began to pack away his cooking utensils into his bag. "Well, you know, fugitive life, no real home, not many opportunities for luxury. Figure I'll go into it in-depth once we're moving. You done with that plate there?"

Colin handed James the plate, and he tucked it into his bag. "Oh, right," James added, "I almost forgot." He reached back into the bag and pulled out a set of thick woolen garments, and tossed them to Colin. "It's cold out here, and it's only going to get colder as winter comes 'round. Wouldn't go amiss for you to wear those over what you've got now as an extra layer; you don't seem too much smaller than me, so they should fit well enough. And you can also take this." Without another word, James removed his poncho and gave it to Colin as well.

Before long, Colin was standing before James in attire closer to his; a thicker, long-sleeved, brown fleece tunic and pants, of which the legs and sleeves only had to be rolled up a little bit to fit his size. James's poncho draped over him like a blanket, the hood pulled over his head. James mentioned he didn't have another belt handy for him, so he instead gave Colin a length of rope to tie around his waist and tighten the tunic.

"Great, you look beautiful," James told Colin after he told him that he was done dressing. "Now, let's get a move on. Keep close to me, and do not for any reason at all get out of my sight. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Cool. Now, we're headed… y'know what, normally I go out east to Appleloosa, but how's about we mix it up and head west to White Tail Woods."

"Okay," Colin agreed, though he had no idea what either one of those destinations were. "So, how far away is that?"

"Oh, quite some distance," James said. "Gives us plenty of time."

"To do what?"

"Converse," James replied, slinging a long object, wrapped in hide, over his shoulder alongside his pack. "Like I said last night, Colin, you and I? We got a lot to talk about."

* * *

The afternoon was chilly, but luckily Colin's new outfit dampened the cold enough to make it bearable. Clouds blocked the blue above and replaced it with grey, and fluffy white flakes had begun to drift aimlessly down to the earth. He and James had come to the edge of the Everfree, and now train-tracks blocked their path. James motioned for him to wait and stopped, craning his neck.

Colin squinted. "What are you…?"

"Shh." James lifted a hand to emphasize the gesture and all was silent again. Colin was confused for a moment, but then began to hear a light, high scuffing. Metal on metal. "Train coming," James muttered. "Hide, now."

Colin didn't hesitate, ducking behind a tree three feet away from James as he did the same himself.

"Why are we doing this?" he asked.

The sound of the train had become a dull rumble. "If anyone's on that train, they could see us and report it to the authorities. I'm not all that liked around here, if you haven't caught onto that."

"Will they be able to hear us if we spoke?"

"You mean would they be able to tell it's us? No, probably not. Talking won't do much good, though, trains being loud and all. Just sit tight, alright?"

"Can do," Colin said.

Before long, the train was coming right past them, and James was right, it was loud. The rumble was deafening, and the passing train created a gust of wind that made Colin stumble at first. But almost as quickly as it came, it was gone. James told Colin to wait behind the tree, peeked out, and gave the okay to continue on their path once he was satisfied the train was out of sight. Together, they walked over the tracks and marched into the empty field beyond.

"Okay, so, as we were talking about before," James said, referring to a short conversation on the Everfree's location in Equestria he and Colin had been having before the tracks. "The Everfree Forest is more of less in the dead centre of Equestria's land. There are four major towns located around it; Appleloosa to the south, Dodge City to the southeast, Ponyville to the northwest and Canterlot to the north."

"Right," Colin said. "So, where do these tracks lead?"

"Oh, they lead everywhere. The trains are arguably the fastest means of transport across the land. The Equestrians use 'em to bus passengers and move cargo across the country. There are four major railway lines, all sharing a central hub at the base of Canterlot Mountain and heading out in the compass directions. The one we just passed branches off just after heading through Ponyville; it leads out into the west past White Tail, around the Smokey Mountains to Tall Tale and down south again to Los Pegasus."

"Wow. So, have you ever been to them?"

James looked back without breaking his stride. "Sorry?"

"Los Pegasus and Tall Tale."

"Well, I've been to San Palomino, which is a desert just south of Los Pegasus," James told him. "There's a highway out to the city as well as the railroad. But for all the places I have been around to, I've never been there, no."

"And Tall Tale?" Colin asked.

James didn't answer for a moment. "Yeah," he muttered finally, almost too low for Colin to hear. "Once."

Colin decided not to press the issue, not that it mattered as James quickly changed the subject on his own. "Anyway, I've been all around this place. Turns out roughly half a decade of time here will do that to you. I've been up north, across the border to Yakyakistan, out east to Manehattan and Horseshoe Bay, even been across the sea to Griffonstone. Hell, just recently I was down south for the first time. Only place I haven't been is out west."

"Wanderlust?" Colin wondered aloud. "Or did you just get bored?"

James hesitated before answering. He didn't want to tell Colin the real reason he was traveling all over the place just yet; he wanted to make sure he could trust him first. "Neither," he explained. "Safety. Not so easy to hit a moving target and all that stuff."

"Makes sense."

After a while, things changed from quiet conversation to absolute silence as Colin and James made their way into White Tail Woods. The air carried the scent of sweet-grass and dust, and it felt almost like a gentle, dreamlike weight was on Colin's shoulders, not enough to be discomforting, but enough to be noticeable; James told him it was a side-effect of Equestria's magical nature.

"Right," Colin remembered. "Because everything in Equestria runs on magic."

"Yup," James confirmed. He paused to help Colin up a low overhang before continuing his train of thought. "There's a few places left unaffected, like the Everfree, but on the whole Equestria eats, breathes and sleeps magic."

"I know. Celestia told me about it."

James halted in his tracks and turned around. "Did she now? You spoke to her?"

"Well, yeah. I suppose my conversation with her was more civil than yours."

"Heh. Yeah, I'd say our discussion was more or less not 'civil'." A grin spread across James's face. "So, how'd you bust out?"

Colin froze. "Sorry?"

"They took you to Ponyville, put you under Twilight," James said. "No way Twilight would want to take you in willingly after what, ah, transpired with me. The only reason they'd send you there, instead of keeping you locked up at Canterlot, would be for two reasons; A, to throw me off, and two, because they were desperate. So, I'm wondering," James concluded, "just what kind of misery did you cause to give good ol' Sunbutt the cold hooves?"

"What?" Colin had little idea what James was talking about. "Um, I didn't break out of anywhere."

The grin on James's face disintegrated. He cocked an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean you didn't break out? They threw you in a cell, didn't they?"

"Well, actually Celestia let me sleep in a guest bedroom."

"Okay, but then they locked the door, so you had to pick it, yeah?"

"Nope. I had free reign of the place. They let me go pretty much anywhere, except outside the palace or in the archives."

"So you could've walked out at any time?"

"Well, they wouldn't—"

"To hell if _they_ wouldn't let you," James said, "I'm asking if _you_ could've left at any point of your own free will!"

Colin didn't know what answer James was looking for. "I… guess I could've, yeah."

James gave Colin a sideways look. "Then… why didn't you?"

Colin was about to answer, but a movement from the trees caught his attention. It was small, far off and in the corner of his eye, but he knew it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. The interruption was enough to catch James's attention as well, and his gaze was fixed in the direction Colin was looking in.

"Did you see it?" Colin asked.

James shook his head. "I only looked over when you did. I doubt that White Tail is as dangerous as the Everfree, but…"

Without hesitating, he reached into his jacket and brought out a knife. It was made of chipped flint and bone, tied tightly with cord to fix the blade in place; it had to be half the length of Colin's forearm. "Here, you'll need a weapon," James told him. "I assume you'll know how to use it."

"But…" Colin tried to say that he didn't, but James was already heading towards the source of the movement. Eventually, he passed out of sight, leaving Colin alone.

Minutes passed painfully slowly. The silence was deafening. Colin gripped the knife tightly, expecting that he needed to use it soon. He was constantly forgetting to breathe, holding his breath until his mind told him it wasn't necessary. Every limb ached.

' _This is stupid',_ he thought to himself. _'There's nothing to be afraid of yet, and you're still shaking.'_

Suddenly, however, those thoughts were quieted as the bushes ahead rustled….

…And finally, James strode out of them with another knife in hand.

"Deer," he said as he walked up beside him. "And no, I didn't kill it. Just had the knife out in case it turned out to be something dangerous."

Colin let out a sigh. "That's relieving."

"Yeah," James said. "Would've dampened the mood of our first day together if – DOWN!"

Before Colin had time to process what James had just said, he was being tackled to the ground as something huge and brown sailed over them and landed with a stuttering thump nearby. Colin wasn't even off his back by the time James was on his feet, but when he lifted his head he saw the reason why he'd tackled him.

Before them stood a wolf. It was huge, almost bigger than James was, but it wasn't what a normal wolf looked like. It's jagged, heavyset form was not of flesh, but of dark, rough wood, all knotted and covered in lichen and moss that almost resembled fur. Gouges and marks had bit deep into its hide like scars, and thin vines twisted about it in an eldritch perversion of sinew. This disturbing appearance was offset by the white daisies that sprouted from its shoulder, and this in turn was offset by the glowing bright-green lights glaring from the beast's sunken eyeholes.

The creature circled the pair, a low bass growl reverberating through its form, like it was hollow on the inside. It kept its eyes locked on them, and James kept his locked on it. Colin scrambled to his feet, nearly slipping back down to the ground twice, and held the knife shakily in front of him.

"No sudden moves," James said without looking away.

"Wha-what is it?"

"The Equestrians call them timberwolves," James explained. "Judging by the size of it, probably an alpha. Look around us slowly, Colin. Do you see any more?"

"Um… n-no."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Yes!" Colin insisted.

Whatever reply James was going to make was cut off by the timberwolf making another lunge for them. James shoved Colin aside again, but this time he only stumbled and didn't fall. The creature barreled past as James sidestepped out of its snarling path. Colin watched as it skidded on filthy, unsettlingly-sharp wooden claws in the dirt and come back at them, this time aiming for him.

Colin froze. It wasn't voluntary; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find it in him to throw himself out of the way. He threw up his arms to shield himself, but the blow never came; James had intercepted the pouncing beast mid-jump and tackled it out of the way. Shaking as he was, Colin could only watch uselessly as the pair rolled around in the grass, James kicking and lashing out with his knife and the timberwolf shearing at him with its claws. The air filled with grunts, growls and the arrhythmic thunking of the blade cracking into wooden flesh before a scream pierced the trees as the wolf lunged forward and bit down on James's shoulder. Rearing back, the timberwolf slammed James into the ground again and again until he lay still on the ground, dazed.

With James incapacitated, the timberwolf slowly turned its attention back to Colin. Jaws agape, it loped forward at him with its broad oaken shoulders low to the ground. Unsure of what to do, Colin swiped the flint knife at the creature, which did nothing but give it momentary pause. Colin suddenly noticed something happening to the timberwolf; where James had opened up rents in its hide, gnarled bark was growing back tougher and thicker than before. The beast could regenerate.

If James knew that, then why didn't they just run?

The creature saw its opportunity and lunged, only to scamper back out of Colin's reach when he ineffectively sent another clumsy strike whipping through the air. He wasn't fully aware that he was backing up; to be fair, most of his attention was on the rumbling monster in front of him. It was only when Colin suddenly realized he was tumbling through the air that he'd made a mistake. With a painful impact he was on his back at the bottom of the overhang James had helped him over a few minutes ago. The timberwolf stalked up to the edge of the small cliff and leered down at its fallen prey.

With nothing else to do, Colin threw the knife at the creature. The blade's handle connected to the creature's shoulder and bounced off. The momentary distraction worked well enough, however, as the next thing Colin threw, a nearby stone, smacked it right in the eye. The timberwolf looked back, the tiny crack in the edge of its eye-socket mending in seconds. Colin could've sworn it looked angry. With a piercing, bone-chilling, ethereal howl, the timberwolf reared on its hind legs for a final pounce…

And suddenly James was right there behind it.

A dark arc swept right across the creature's shins, slicing the timberwolf's legs in half. Colin had barely enough time to roll out of the way as the monster crashed down with a splintering _crack._ Before it could make a swipe at him with its still-attached paws, Colin was scrambling up the overhang all on his own. James was holding his shoulder in one hand, and in the other gripped a black longsword. Red-faced and baring his teeth at the fallen, crumpled beast, it was clear that he was not happy.

Abruptly, James was shoving his pack into Colin's arms.

"That won't hold him," James growled. "Not for long." And he was right; already the monster was pulling itself back together, re-connecting its split chest and struggling to find its hind legs. "Quickly now, there's a bottle of thick, yellow liquid in there, bring it out for me."

Colin rummaged through and eventually found the bottle James wanted and handed it to him. The creature had found one of its legs and was reattaching it. Before it got the chance to crawl over to its other one, James lobbed the bottle at it, shattering it and spilling its contents all over the beast. Without hesitation, James stabbed the sword into the dirt and brought out a box of matches from his jacket. His eyes glinted as he took one out and struck it.

"You're lookin' a bit cold there, pal," he muttered darkly. "Here. _Warm up."_

And to Colin's horror, he tossed down the match and the timberwolf went up in flames with a loud _fwoosh._

Where the creature once growled, the air was now filled with yelping and whimpers. The creature made all sorts of pathetic, terrifying noises as it flailed around until it turned into a twitching morass of blackened wood, glowing embers and popping, crackling flame.

Colin couldn't bear to look away. James didn't seem to want to.

In a few minutes, the creature had gone silent. The fires leaped high once again, a green tinge taking over their features, before settling back down into tiny, licking flames that guttered out on the winter breeze, leaving behind ash, charcoal and what was left of the timberwolf's charred, empty-eyed head.

For the next minute, the two of them stood in silence, looking down on the beast's remains. James rolled his wounded shoulder and winced. He turned to Colin.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

Colin tore his gaze away from the ash-pile and looked at James. "What was what?"

"You just stood there," James muttered. "You didn't even try to get that damn thing off me."

"What was I supposed to do?" Colin protested. "How could I have fought that!? It took everything you had and put itself back together!"

"You just stood there!" James repeated. "What, were you in shock or something? Didn't know what to do?"

"YES!" Colin shouted.

There was a pause. The anger seemed to seep out of James's features. He gave Colin another sideways look, and his eyes narrowed.

"Do you…" James blinked. "Do you not know how to fight?"

Colin shifted. "No, I don't."

James straightened. "How do tell the time without a watch?"

Colin looked up at him. "What?"

"Answer."

"I don't know."

"Okay, well, you know how to fish, yeah?"

"You… take a line and put a hook on it, and then you put bait on the hook, and then… wait for a fish?"

"Not the most effective way. Alright, well then, do you at least know how to build a fire?"

"The way you just did, maybe."

James shook his head. "No. You'd know how to do those things."

"What makes you think that?"

He placed his hand on his chest. "Because that's what _I_ knew how to do when _I_ came here!" He shifted his gaze off into the distance before abruptly turning back to Colin. "Alright, so what _do_ you know how to do?"

Colin shrugged. "I know how to read and write."

James looked incredulously at him. Then he bit his lip in a malicious grin and cast his eyes to the sky.

"Wow," he muttered to himself. "And not even the courtesy to call it rain."

"What are you going on about?" Colin asked.

James gripped his shoulder. "A lot to talk about," he repeated. "Turns out there are a couple of things I need to learn you too, pal."

Without another word, he took the pack and slung it over his shoulder with a slight wince. Picking up the sword, which Colin now knew was the long object from earlier, he put it back on as well and began to stride off as though nothing had happened.

"And by the way," Colin called after him, "what was that remark? 'Without the courtesy of calling it rain'!" he scoffed. "As though I'm some big disappointment to you!"

James turned around, with his mouth twisted into a smile. "Oh no, my friend. That wasn't for me," he explained. "That was for you. Lot's to learn and talk about, Colin."

There was a glint in James's eyes again; the same psychotic glint as when he torched the timberwolf.

"Like just how bad a hand you've been dealt."

And he turned and started off again.

Colin didn't like the look James had given him. He didn't like where this whole thing was headed. And most importantly, he didn't like the thought that James had implied. Casting a final glance at the smoking ruins at the bottom of the overhang below, he jogged back over to James and the two continued on their way.

* * *

The cave had been home enough for the third human as they squatted in the darkness, their only company being the dim howling of the wind outside as it tore a blizzard across the mountains beyond the mouth of the den.

Crawling over to the edge, the figure stuck its head out just enough to look at the mining station beyond, all but masked by the harsh, blowing snow. It wasn't safe to travel. The horse-things… those talking ponies… they were everywhere now. What did they want from it? Why did they awaken tied up in a chair?

Why did the figure have to fight their way out?

It didn't understand. There were visions in its head; black stones, a city in the clouds. Fury. Frustration. Fear. Its mind was clouded by something, but it didn't know what. The figure sat down, pulled the scarf free from its mouth and breathed in the cold, fresh air. The wind danced on its freckles, turned its nose red and caused its mousy, black hair to drift.

It the very least, the human's clothes were warm. Some kind of thick garments, including a cap that covered its head and mitts for its hands. Heavy work boots adorned their feet, and though their pants were baggy, they could feel long-johns underneath clinging to their legs.

The human sneezed, and suddenly scrambled back to the safety of the cave, but they were so far away from everything happening down there that there was no way anyone heard them. Still, the cave was noticeable enough to qualify as a place to hide, and it was likely the soldiers exploring below would be up here sometime very soon.

The human got to their feet, pulled the scarf over their face, and reached behind a nearby boulder to bring out the weapon they used to fight through the miners; a hefty, heavy mattock. It wouldn't do well in terms of weapons in the long run, but for now it was the human's best – and only – option.

Enough thoughts on their past. That could be settled later on.

For now, they had to move.


	20. Chapter 19

"This is a weird idea. Ain't sayin' anything else on top of that, but this idea? It's definitely weird."

Twilight sighed gently through her nose as she lifted more bottles of cider into the cart. "If you think this is a bad idea, Applejack, just say so. It'll be your last chance to do it before we head out."

"Well, all I'm thinking is," Applejack explained as she picked up a covered basket of assorted cinnamon rolls and shoved them in the cart as well, "we're fillin' up this cart here with sweets, clothes, books and cider. That aint' exactly gonna scream 'inconspicuous', and this goes double on account of who we're dealing with. He's gonna know it's us from a mile away."

Twilight considered that. The plan she'd given was both simple and brilliant; she and her friends would disguise themselves as merchants and head out on the road with a cart full of supplies. Since James was constantly on the move, with no legal way to gain or barter for goods, he instead raided trade caravans while they were between towns, attacking them in the night and stealing whatever goods he could carry that he found useful. As befitting a person in his position, this usually meant fabrics for clothes, food, water and tools or weapons. Since Pinkie owned a sweet shop, and Rarity owned a boutique, they already had enough to make it desirable for the outlaw without having to spend too much buying things. Still, Applejack had a point. James knew these things just as well as they did; he'd know something was up.

"Then we'll lay a tarp over it," Rarity suggested as she piled more blankets into the cart. "What's in the cart likely doesn't matter to James until he's rifling through it. Besides, winter's about to start, and it makes sense to cover up whatever's in here."

"That sounds like a great idea, actually," Twilight mentioned. "Thanks, Rarity."

Applejack still didn't seem all that convinced, but whatever further doubts she had remained unsaid.

Eventually, five of the Element Bearers were together once again. Fluttershy had been sent to the guard barracks on the outskirts of Ponyville by Twilight, and had returned with a bundle of spears; not that any of them needed the weapons, but they would do nicely as further incentive to lure James into the open. Pinkie Pie had returned with the final few bits of food to be added in. Rainbow Dash was absent, as she had work to do moving clouds at her job, but promised Twilight the night before she'd try to swing a few days off to help. Twilight had insisted that her job was more important, but Dash had insisted in turn, so she felt it unnecessary to argue. Finally, Rarity retrieved a large afghan and laid it over the cart, concealing its contents.

"Alright, we have our reason for being out there," Twilight said, "now we just need adequate disguises. Simple horse-cloaks should do."

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "So… more blankets, then?"

Twilight smiled apologetically at her.

Rarity sighed. "I'll go unlock my door again."

Before long, all of them were clad in thick, warm garments that trailed down almost to their hooves. Rarity wasn't happy she had to wear what amounted to a simple tan blanket, nor was Applejack for having to store her favourite hat in the cart instead of wearing it, but the both of them eventually relented. Truth be told, Twilight was more upset about Spike; she'd be leaving him behind to take care of the house while she was gone, and their goodbye to one another left a sour taste in Twilight's mouth. Only Pinkie seemed to be undeterred. As per usual, she kept her almost one-of-a-kind optimism as the group left town.

"Off we go," she said as she bounced energetically, "off on another adventure to save Colin!"

The group was headed west. Twilight only hoped they'd chosen the right direction. If they did, they'd have to face down James head on and get Colin back by force. If not, then they'd be wandering for weeks out in the cold looking for two humans who might not even turn up.

Neither result was appealing to her, but Twilight knew she'd eventually end up with one.

* * *

 _Colin has barely spoken since last night. Figure my little performance with the Timberwolf upset him._

 _To be fair, on the other hand we didn't really do too much either. We had dinner, which consisted of an unlucky songbird and scraps of bread, and talked about the Timberwolf attack a bit before he decided to turn in. Nothing else turned up, so the wolf we came across was likely a former alpha that got kicked out of its pack by the next top dog. Odd how monsters act so much like normal animals do._

 _In all honesty, I didn't get much sleep last night. Knowing Colin can't adequately defend himself out here provides a new challenge; I decided not to teach him how to take watch as of yet, and instead I helped him climb a tree and use a high branch as his bed. He kept stretching his back muscles and rubbing his shoulders; he's got a way to go, but he'll learn._

 _Under me, he'll learn fast._

* * *

"Allow me to begin by saying this; everything about my life and the way I live it is going to be discomforting."

James picked up an acorn from the ground next to the tree they had stopped to rest by and threw it at a flower sprouting from the ground nearby. It missed by a long shot.

"You're going to be cold," James explained. "You're going to ache all over damn near every time you wake up in the morning, until you get used to it, that is. Though we will do everything we can to prevent it, you're going to have to be prepared to go hungry sometimes. On the road, our bed will be anything convenient to sleep on, our food will be anything we can catch, and our water, for drinking, bathing and washing our clothes, will be any fresh spring or river we come across."

Colin shivered slightly. Though the garments James gave him were warm, they were also loose-fitting. "Okay," was all he responded with; he figured James had much more to go on about, and he was correct.

"Right." James paused to pick up another acorn and aimed it at the flower. He seemed almost lost in thought as he lined up the shot. He threw, and missed again. "We'll start with some basics. Generally, you're going to not want… to, uh…" James paused. "You're not going to want to… get… killed."

Colin stared blankly at him. "Uh. Yes? I… understand that. Good, good little opening lesson there."

"Okay, so I don't know where to start," James admitted. "Equestria's a dangerous place, not that you need any further examples of that fact. You're _sure_ you don't know anything?"

"Positive. At least, nothing about having to survive." Colin tried to think of things that he did know about. "Hm. Well, I might know a couple things."

James was too busy aiming another acorn at the flower. "Tell me about it."

"Well, for starters, if I recall correctly that flower you're trying to hit is called a glacier lily. It grows near mountainous areas."

James threw the acorn and closely missed yet again, causing him to beat the ground with his fist and curse under his breath. He turned to look at Colin. "Sorry. How do you figure?"

"Well, I read about it. Back in Ponyville, Twilight allowed me to read some of the books at her home. One of those books was a guide to identifying plants and animals in Equestria. Do you know anything about plants?"

James shrugged. "I know what Poison Joke is. Aside from that, no."

"How… you know what, I'd rather not ask," Colin muttered.

In response, James chuckled. Then he picked up a pebble from the ground, as he'd thrown all the acorns in his reach away, and tried one last time to hit the lily. It missed, and James rose to his feet, plucked it from the ground, and tossed it away.

"Alright, I think we've rested long enough. Let's get moving again."

Colin agreed, and the two were off once more. As they moved, James spoke to him.

"Okay, so you said that flower grows near mountains, right?"

"Right."

"Which means we're close to the Smokey Mountains. That'd put us in the northern half of White Tail Woods. We'll travel due north a bit further, until we hit the next set of train tracks, and then I'll give you your first lesson."

"That lesson being?"

"Train Hopping, one-oh-one."

Colin grinned. "Sounds like an interesting topic, professor. Any basics on it we can go over before doing some hands-on work?"

"Well, it's mostly cardio, really; leg strength to catch up, and upper body to pull yourself onto the car. Hell of a workout." James suddenly realized something, and looked back at Colin. "Did you just call me 'professor'?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah, if only." James chortled. "Yeah, put me in with a group of kids. They're gonna learn some things, let me tell you."

Colin laughed, and so did James. Things seemed to be going well enough already, and for once, James's paranoid vigil took a backseat to the fun he was having joking around with his new partner.

Just his luck, then, that the one time he wasn't paying attention was the one time he ended up paying for it.

* * *

The train tracks were empty and covered in a half-inch of snow by the time James and Colin reached them. The snowfall, which had started maybe around noon, was barely noticeable under the trees, but once they were next to the open space, it was quite the spectacle. From the sky flitted fat flakes of snow, in enough numbers to white out the scenery. James mentioned that the night might bring maybe two, three inches of snow by morning.

"You don't seem to be happy about that," Colin observed.

"It could cause the trains to be delayed," James explained. "It's happened almost every past winter at least once. Sometimes it's a nuisance, other times an actual risk."

"You'd think, since weather works under Equestrian effort, that they'd just avoid the tracks."

"Well, you know, work quotas, it's cold out, highly stressful this time of year. The workers probably just don't want to deal with it."

"Or they don't care," Colin mused. "After all, these are pegasi we're talking about. They don't need to drive through it."

The two shared a laugh at that remark. Then James said that the train must not be passing by yet, so they should get comfy for a bit and wait.

"So," Colin asked, "do you always travel this way?"

"Most of the time, it's either this, or on foot," James replied. "The folk here largely don't trust me, me being an outlaw and all. Although, sometimes I've had some other experiences. I've been on a boat a couple times, heading out to sea. And I've traveled by cart, once."

"Really?" Colin marvelled. "And how did you do that?"

"Generally, I have three ways of going about it. First is the most simple; you hop on the boat, or train, or whatever, and you hide from everyone. Generally they don't see you; the passengers aren't looking, and if you hide well enough, the crewmen on a boat or the railroad police won't find you. The second method is to steal it; not the most stealthy approach, mind you, but when you're at that point, there's no reason for stealth."

"And the third method?"

"Well. That's something more middle-of-the-road. See, by and large the people of Equestria are afraid of me, but every so often I come across someone to whom money talks. I bribe them a bag or two of their currency, and they let me tag along. I don't see it every day, but it's not completely unheard of to me."

James pulled his backpack off and began to rummage through it. Eventually, he pulled a rolled-up sheet of paper from his pack and went to open it, but noticed that Colin was shivering. Colin was making an effort to contain it, to hide it from him, but it seemed that James was able to notice anything.

"You feeling alright?" he asked. "Those clothes don't fit you well, do they?"

Colin nodded. "Yeah, they're not the best fit."

"Look, I'll see if I can find anything that will fit you better when we get to my next safehouse," James said. "And I'll grab you a backpack too, if I can. But for now you'll have to grin and bear it, okay?"

There was a sound in the distance; a low, quiet rumble from the east. The train was approaching. James had the paper unfurled, but quickly rolled it back up.

"What was that you were reading?" Colin asked.

"A map. Just double-checking where we need to get off." James shoved the map back into his pack and put it back on. "Okay, Colin, here comes the hard part. If the train coming by is a cargo hauler, we shouldn't have many problems. But, in all likelihood the train coming up is a passenger train; the schedules Equestria has for them are very strict and punctual. We'll need to wait until it's almost past us, and then we run like hell to catch up with the back end. Then we pull ourselves up. Got it?"

"One question," Colin replied. "How do we catch up with a train moving full speed?"

"The tracks curve up ahead. Not to mention the snowy weather will have it going slower for the sake of safety. We sprint, as fast as we can, and then we get on. I've done it before, many times."

"I haven't, though."

The train whistle blew in the distance.

"Consider this your first experience, Colin. Are you ready for it, or not? Because if you're not, you need to tell me _right now._ "

Colin looked at James, whose attitude had promptly shifted from the humorous banter they were having back to his usual, head-on-a-swivel vigil. He seemed anxious; it was clear that time was running out.

"Y-yes," Colin said. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Okay," James muttered. "Then stay crouched until I tell you."

With a roar, the train rumbled past, and James was correct in his assumption that the snow would slow it down. The two waited for an uncomfortably long time, until Colin though James was just going to let the train pass…

"Now!"

And James burst from the bushes like a leopard and bolted for the passing train. Colin almost hesitated, but his body did what it was supposed to, and less than half a second passed before he was right behind him. Only, the problem was that James was starting to pull ahead. Colin poured as much of his muscle power into his legs, and they began to burn with lactic acid as he pushed himself to keep up.

James, at full sprint, managed to get to the back of the train, and with both of his arms alone managed to hoist himself aboard. Only then did he turn around and notice Colin lagging behind. He leaned out from the caboose, stretching his arm as far as possible.

"Come on!" he encouraged.

"James," Colin cried between gasps of air. "I can't… can't make it…"

"You can, Colin!"

"I'm not going to!"

"Listen," James said, trying to stretch his arm further to catch onto Colin's jacket. Colin was close, but he could feel his lungs straining. "You wanted to know how I live, right? This is how. Necessity!"

Colin tried to run faster, and James's arm got closer.

"You're going to make it, Colin!" James yelled over the rumbling of the train. "Because you have to!"

Colin was at the end of his endurance. Without anything left to do, he jumped, throwing both hands out to catch James's.

It worked.

With a hard, painful yank, James pulled Colin up into the railing of the train car, the youth hitting bodily against it, but gaining his bearings to grab hold of it. James shifted his arms to Colin's back, and awkwardly pulled him over the railing, where the two lay, Colin coughing and wheezing for air. It took a few minutes, with James constantly checking through the single, tiny caboose window to see if anyone heard, but eventually Colin calmed down.

"I… _immediately hate doing that,"_ Colin groaned.

"Yeah, it was bad for me too, when I did it the first time," James panted. "Are you okay? Anything broken?"

Colin weakly lifted his arm and gave a thumbs-up.

"Okay. Good." James mumbled before clearing his throat. "Sorry about having to pull you over like that."

"It's okay," Colin breathed, sitting himself up on a barrel set against the wall. "So, uh… so where are we going to now?"

James sat opposite Colin and sighed. "I'll let you know when we need to get off. It's maybe a couple miles from Tall Tale."

"Yeah, Tall Tale, you said you've been there before." Colin shifted in his seat and gazed out at the tracks behind them. "So are you going to show me around there next?"

"No," James replied immediately.

Colin looked confusedly at his abrupt response. "Why not?"

James didn't answer.

* * *

Roughly half an hour passed as James and Colin sat back on the train, listening to the wind and the groan of the metal tracks. Neither of them spoke; after all, there wasn't really much to talk about. Eventually, James took off his pack and searched through it for something.

"Hey," he asked. "Have you ever played Liar's Dice before?"

Colin looked back at James from the scenic countryside running past them. "Sorry?"

"Liar's Dice. It's a gambling game."

"No, I can't say I have."

James drew a pair of cups and a set of twelve dice from his pack. "Do you want to?"

"Sure."

"Alright. So the rules are simple…."

Before James could explain the game to him, however, a quiet shrieking sound, louder than the wind but thankfully quieter than the sound of the train, sounded. The train began to slow down.

"The hell is happening?" James muttered, half to himself.

"What, what's wrong?"

"Shh." James peered over the windowsill and looked, but saw only passengers as confused as he was. "We're stopping."

"What? Why?" Colin questioned. "I thought you said they were on a tight schedule."

James looked pale. "Only one reason they'd stop," he whispered. The train slowed to a crawl, and then finally chugged to a halt. James leaned over the side, looking out to the front of the train, and saw just what he hoped not to see.

Equestrian Guards. Several of them, led by the familiar mare from the Forbidden Jungle. They seemed to be conversing with the conductor.

James immediately ducked back. "Hide," he ordered Colin.

"Hide? Where!?" Colin whispered sharply.

"Anywhere, just do it!"

Immediately, Colin was looking around for something to hide in, and looked up at the barrel beside him. When he got up to open it, however, he saw it was filled with water.

James was suddenly crouched beside him. He looked in the barrel. Grimly, he turned to Colin.

"Get under the train," he said. "There's enough room for you to crawl under and hide there."

"What about you?"

James quickly peered over the side of the train and instantly jumped back. "Look, we don't have time to discuss this. I'll be fine, okay? Just hide, and worry about you."

"…Okay," Colin said reluctantly. And quietly he got off the caboose and crawled under the train's undercarriage. James didn't follow him. In fact, Colin didn't hear any sounds from him. Instead, he heard footsteps crunching in the snow, louder and louder for what felt like forever…

Suddenly they stopped, and Colin could see a set of hooves right next to him. A voice called out.

"Captain Razorplume! We've got signs of Alistair here!"

All was quiet, until a sudden crunching impact of another set of hooves made Colin jump and almost cry out in shock.

"Look at the frost here, captain," the voice explained. "There's an outline where the back porch warmed up. Alistair must have been sitting here."

"Good eye," a gruff but feminine voice, which Colin could only assume was Razorplume, said in response. "There are two here. Alistair's hostage, the Colin boy… he was still with him. But where are they now?"

Hearing his name made Colin feel chills. They were looking for him, too.

"We'll have the scouts double back to check for tracks in the snow," Razorplume continued. "See if our fugitive and his captive got off before we showed up. For now, check that barrel."

As the first set of hooves started around, Colin noticed that he'd left a set of footprints in the snow as he got under the train. His blood ran colder than ice. The guard went to turn the corner, and Colin held his breath and prayed, _don't look down, don't look down…_

With the careless crunching of snow, the guard trampled Colin's footprints without looking down and clumped up onto the caboose. Colin could hear the guard prying the lid off the barrel.

"Nothing here, ma'am. Miss. Uh, sir?"

"Yes, yes, get on with it. What _is_ in there?"

"Just water. Probably just a rain barrel."

Razorplume seemed to hold still for an uncomfortably long time. Colin was still holding his breath. He shifted, as quietly as possible, to see the other side of the train. There weren't any guards on that side that he could see. They must have gone inside the train to check if they were there. A wheel blocked his view of his immediate left, but Colin sensed there was nothing there either.

"Alright," Razorplume said finally. "We're on a tight schedule, and we're not the only ones either. Gather up the troops and we'll be off."

The guard, and Razorplume, started to make their way back to the front of the train. The ordeal seemed to have passed over. And it would have, if only Colin didn't make one mistake.

He let out his breath in a sigh.

Razorplume paused.

"What was that noise?" Colin could hear, faintly.

He was all but trapped. Looking again, eyes wide, at the other side of the train, Colin couldn't see all the way up. He had no idea if there might have been guards at the very front. And that wheel was in his way.

"You heard it?" he could hear Razorplume ask.

"Yes, sir."

There was a short pause. Then Razorplume said the words Colin was dreading to hear.

"Check the undercarriage."


	21. Chapter 20

The hoofbeat got closer and closer, slow enough to be agonizing but fast enough to leave no time.

Colin had to act fast.

His mind raced, trying to gauge his chances of being seen if he slipped out the other side of the train and hid behind the wheel to his left. For all he knew, there were guards far enough towards the front out of his field of view that would notice a human silhouette emerging from the undercarriage and alert them to his presence. Colin wondered if he could just get out and run, try to escape before they could catch him, but his thoughts immediately shifted to James.

Colin didn't know James. Not really. He had neglected to ask James if he knew how to get back home, but for some reason Colin didn't think he did all of a sudden. And then there was the ordeal with the Timberwolf; James had acted coldly, neigh bereft of mercy. Yet, despite having no reason to stay behind and keep close to him, Colin wanted to be around him. Perhaps it was because he felt a bond, perhaps it was simply because James was the only other human he could interact with. But all the same, Colin wanted to know him.

The hoofs were getting closer.

There was only about a second to think it over, and Colin wasn't good at making fast decisions. He felt his body begin to lock up. It was time for him to make the choice, before the panic setting in made it for him.

Colin, quickly and quietly, crawled out from under the train just as the horses stopped to bend down. He crouched next to the wheel, fighting to make his body as small as possible, and held his breath as the soldiers checked the undercarriage.

"Nothing," the soldier stated.

"You're absolutely certain of that?" came Razorplume's voice in response.

"I can't see anything down here, sir."

Razorplume snorted. "Go around the other side and check there. I'll stay here and keep an eye on this end."

' _Oh,'_ Colin thought exasperatedly, _'come on!'_

Looking around, Colin noticed that, thankfully, there weren't any other guards on this side. Not yet, at least; the one soldier was getting closer with every heartbeat. Colin once more had to act fast, only this time his choice came with greater risk, and inspiration.

As it turned out, a rabbit had just happened to come out from the bushes not two feet from Colin to sate its curiosity with the halted train. It was white as the snow, and likely should have been hibernating, and yet there it was, like a ghost in the winter. It looked up at Colin, and he felt a strong urge to go with it somewhere. A distant memory stirred in his mind; this reminded him of something, but he wasn't sure exactly what. Colin got an idea into his head; it was risking it all, but there was no other choice; once more, the guard was getting closer.

The moment came. Colin dove after the startled, fleeing rabbit as it ran to his left and then turned to bolt into the forest. Colin made no pause, even after he heard the sharp cry of alarm and Razorplume's demand to know what had happened. Colin bolted, almost on all fours, into the forest fringe, ducked behind a tree and waited to see if his diversion worked.

"What!?" Razorplume shouted, skittering in the snow as she ran up to the guard's side. "What did you see!?"

Colin risked a glance at the train, and realized to his joy that they weren't even looking at him. Instead, the guard was sullenly looking over where the rabbit had disappeared into the foliage, with Razorplume craning to try and get a glimpse of it as well. Even the passengers had been piqued by the commotion, and all were staring out the window into the darkness of the forest beyond.

"Rabbit," was the only word the soldier had to offer.

Razorplume slumped. She turned with a cruel grimace, as though to scream at the poor sod for making her jump at shadows, but then noticed all of the civilian eyes on them. Instead, she simply lowered her voice and growled, "I'll deal with you later."

Colin had to put a hand over his mouth and duck back behind the tree to keep from laughing.

With the search unsatisfyingly yet conclusively ended, the excitement was over. The Equestrian soldiers rounded themselves up, thanked the conductor for his patience and apologized for the delay, and finally took to the sky and disappeared. The citizens immediately ceased to care about the issue after they had left, turning their attention back to whatever they had been doing before the unexpected inspection. With a lurch, the train began to move again, and Colin made a quick dash for the caboose and clambered on, much more easily this time.

Before long, the train was moving again, chugging through the night like nothing had happened. Colin didn't see any sign of James; he figured he'd had the same idea and would come sprinting up to the car like before any minute now. Nothing.

And then, with a terrifying realization, Colin turned towards a noise and saw the barrel lid pop open and slide off.

James, dripping water, with a gasp and chattering teeth, crawled out of the water and dumped himself on the porch. Immediately, Colin was next to him.

"What did you do!?" he exclaimed. "Why? Why did you…?"

"He-hey Colin," James stuttered. "D-d-don't mind m-me, just ta-taking a b-b-bath."

Colin had his hands on his head in dismay, looking down at the idiot who claimed to be a survivor, who now, without a doubt, had hypothermia. "Are you kidding me right now? You hid in _there!?"_

"Consid-d-der it taking one f-fer the team-m-m, pal," James replied shakily. "'Sides, I've d-dealt with-h-h hypo-th-thermia before."

"Is there anything you haven't dealt with?"

James sat up against the meagre warmth of the train car and grinned in spite of his ailment. "Taxes, for one," he joked. "Th-then ag-g-gain, I'm ho-homeless, so I've g-g-got a r-reason…"

"That's not funny!" Colin cried, almost loud enough to be heard over the engine.

"Shhh!" James hissed. "Y-you make that m-m-much noise n-now, and hypotherm-m-mia is g-g-going to b-be the least of m-my worries."

"Oh, no." Colin frantically tried to think of something he could do, anything. "Oh, _no."_

"Re-relax, kid," James tried to reassure him. "I didn't c-c-come all this w-way just to d-die now from this."

Colin removed his poncho from his shoulders, bent down and pulled off James's boots and socks.

"H-he-hey!" he protested. "What 'r y-you doing? P-put that back on!"

"No," Colin said flatly as he wrapped the garment tightly around James's bare feet. It couldn't have been too much of a solution, but it was all he had. "You need it far more than I do."

Despite James's protests, Colin took off his brown tunic as well, laying it across James's lap and tying it tightly around his legs. Then, he undid James's jacket and curled up with him, pulling the jacket around them as best he could. Luckily, the leather was waterproof, and underneath was dry.

"Y-y'know," James said, "th-that you don't n-n-need to do this, yeah?"

"I don't see how I shouldn't," Colin replied. "Your chances of dying from that stupid move would only increase if I did nothing."

James was quiet for a moment. "…You're right," he admitted finally. "I sh-shouldn't have d-done what I d-d-did. I'm s-sorry, Colin."

"Don't apologize," Colin replied. "Instead, thank me when I save your life."

James nodded. "T-th-thank you."

Then the two laid there for a few minutes in total silence.

"…Colin?"

"Yeah?"

"…Th-this is really awkward."

"…Yup."

* * *

When the pair arrived at where James wanted them to go, Colin had to half-carry the staggering James towards his halfway house. Of course, 'house' was a perhaps inappropriate term; it was really a wood and corrugated tin shack that had to be about three, four metres squared, set inside a six-foot pit. A tarp had been laid over the entire hole, giving a ceiling to the small, round dirt trench that surrounded the ramshackle hut, and from above it looked like just more empty ground, with tree bark covering what Colin could only assume to be a chimney-pipe. Colin lifted the tarp and slid down, and helped James in. Ducking to avoid the low ceiling of the hut, Colin realized it was so low to the ground that he couldn't stand at his full height. As Colin had guessed, a pipe came down from the ceiling and the only furniture was a metal lockbox set against the wall.

"Th-there's only one s-s-sleeping bag in the b-box," James said. "I d-don't know if the one in m-m-my pack is still dry."

"It should be," Colin said. "If not, I can go without it."

"C-colin…"

"Trust me."

James looked unsure, but he complied. As fortune would have it, the sleeping bag, alongside everything else in his pack, was dry. James got the other bag out of the case, laid it out and began to shove everything in his pack into it.

"I n-need you to go out and g-g-get as m-many twigs as you can fuh-find," he said. "Can y-you do that?"

"Yes," was all Colin said before he left.

It wasn't long before James was curled up in the sleeping bag, surrounded by the contents of his pack as well as twigs and podzol, and had abruptly gone silent.

Colin could only lie in his own sleeping bag and watch him. Within the next half hour, James had begun to shiver, which was a good sign; it meant that his body temperature was trying to right itself. But Colin didn't feel reassured. He sat there, wide awake and troubled, looking over at the one and only other human in this strange world, far away from any other help, wondering if he was going to die…

…And then, suddenly, he wasn't awake anymore.

Darkness enveloped Colin as he sank further into unconsciousness. The numb feeling overcame his body, as though he was drifting through tar. What little warmth he felt was siphoned away, only to be replaced not with cold, but with a null non-feeling that was neither. Despite being asleep, and knowing he was asleep, the void before him made Colin feel dizzy and sick.

The darkness lifted, only just enough to get fragments of images floating through Colin's mind. At first, he saw an endless expanse of storm-grey earth, which wavered and moved as though distorted by heat. Only, it wasn't earth at all, Colin realized; it was water. An ocean, stretching out to the horizon in almost every direction.

Colin could look around, but he couldn't look down, couldn't see what he was standing on. The sea only gave way in one direction, showing sand that led upwards to cracked, parched earth, barren but for scrubs and dead bushes. Colin could see a column of smoke rising from the horizon, and small figures wandering around where it might be…

Colin felt eyes on him. He tried to turn but found it like moving through tar. Suddenly the blind darkness from before set in, and the weightless, vertigo-inducing feeling overwhelmed him. He couldn't tell up from down anymore, left from right or forward from back.

But he could tell he was being watched. And it unsettled him.

* * *

The world bled into view again, and suddenly Colin was back in the shanty with James asleep next to him. Light filtered through the chimney-pipe, the dust giving the illusion of a solid beam, so it was clear he had slept through the night.

Colin looked over at James's body. He was lying still, which deeply concerned Colin until he examined him closer and found his sleeping bag to be gently rising and falling. He'd survived. Colin wanted to wake him up, to talk to him about his dream and ask him if he'd had any similar, but instead, for some reason, kept still for a while, not moving or making any sound, just lying there and listening to the quiet ambience of the forest. Five minutes passed… ten minutes…

"James?"

James made no indication that he had heard, so Colin asked again, louder this time.

"James."

James finally stirred, grunted, and with effort, rolled over. He looked rough, but then again that had to be expected of a man who almost died the night before. He blinked lazily.

"Wha… yeah?" he said.

"I know I should let you get your rest, but I wanted to ask you a question."

"No," James reassured him, "no, that's fine. We should probably be back on the road anyway." He began to sit up.

"What?" Colin said. "No! You haven't recovered your strength yet, you need to rest!"

"What are you, my mother?"

"Lie back down!"

Before James could react, Colin pressed his hands against his shoulders and shoved him back onto the ground before recoiling back to his side of the shack. James grunted again. His body felt sore all over and his movements sluggish. Maybe Colin had a point.

"Alright, alright!" he conceded. "We'll stick around a while longer. Let's say…"

"Two days," Colin said.

"One."

" _Two. Days."_

"One and a half."

"Not negotiable, James!" Colin shouted. "God, are you always this stubborn?"

"Ugh. You remind me of… someone I met on the road," he said vaguely.

"You mean a kind Samaritan who actually cared about your wellbeing?"

James chuckled. "They _are_ a rare occurrence. Never really had someone to force me to lie down and get all healed before."

"Well," Colin muttered, "you do now."

James looked at him. From a purely tactical standpoint, Colin was dead weight; untrained, inexperienced and unable to hold his own in a fight or survival. But he was a fast learner, and it was admittedly nice to have another human to bounce thoughts off of and match wits with.

"Well," James sighed, putting his arms behind his head with only the slightest smart, "I guess while we're stuck here, you can ask me that question."

"Right," Colin said. "Well, last night I had a dream."

James tensed, and his muscles burned. There was another huge risk Colin brought to the table, and James had completely forgotten about it. Whatever expression he made must have been noticeable, because Colin had stopped dead in his tracks.

"What, what's wrong?" he asked.

"In your dream, what did you see?" James responded. He didn't really care what Colin had to say; whatever it was, it meant bad news. But his purpose in asking was to find out where the dream had come from.

"Well," Colin explained, "I was standing out at sea, near a coastline on what looked like a desert. Everything looked, I don't know how to put it..."

"Polluted?"

"…Corrupted. Barren and dead, as though it were once alive. Like something killed all the grass and plantlife."

James shut his eyes. It was worse than he'd imagined.

"And then everything went dark, like I was floating through space," Colin continued.

"And you felt a presence," James guessed. "Like being watched."

"So you've had them too," Colin said.

"Yeah," James told him. "The last time around."

"Last time?"

James straightened again, and Colin didn't stop him. "Colin, when I ended up here in the first place, I had dreams like you did. I was standing on a shore, looking down at a smoking rock in a crater."

"A meteor," Colin guessed.

"Probably, yeah," James agreed. "I had guessed it was my memories of home resurfacing. But they always came with visions, terrible visions, and besides, dreaming here is different than dreaming somewhere else. Here, your dreams are watched, monitored by more than one being. So I've learned to block them out."

"You… keep yourself from dreaming?"

James's eyes got a faraway look. "I've had bad history with people running around in my mind," he muttered darkly.

Colin didn't know what to make of that, but what James implied made him shudder just thinking about it.

"What you're experiencing isn't a good sign," James warned. "It means he's now well and truly making a comeback. It means that Ophidian is regaining his power."

Colin didn't know who Ophidian was, either. But just like what James said about dreams, the name made his skin crawl all the same. "Who's Ophidian?" Colin asked.

James glanced over at Colin, and figured that this was it. The moment of truth. Colin needed to know what was going on, what he was up against.

So James told him.

The story took up the better part of the day, but in his defence, James had a lot to cover. He told Colin everything he needed to know, but not a word more. He told him about his arrival and the ordeals that followed. He told him about his actions and what granted him outlaw status. He told him about Ophidian, at the time a nameless monstrosity from beyond time and space that threatened Equestria until he, with the help of an Equestrian Guard-captain named Night Iron and the beast's own treasonous general, Liam Holt, destroyed its anchor in this universe and killed its twin before sending it back to whence it came.

James even told Colin about the Spellbane shards, and his mission to find and scatter them to the four winds, so that they could never be brought together again, keeping the monster from returning and severing the bond between home and Equestria once and for all, even at the cost of never being able to return himself. But he didn't tell Colin everything; he omitted Lyra and his experience with Twilight and later Ophidian's mind games.

"…So that's it," James concluded. "I've seen what home is like. I compared it to Equestria many times, and from what I've gathered, it's a paradise compared to where we came from. If it means saving this world from the ravages of that thing… I'm more than glad to trap myself here, criminal or not."

Colin had listened in intent silence for the whole time, and only when James had finished decided to speak. "James, if what you're saying is true, that means that by saving this world, we'd be condemning ours."

"Nice sentiment, Colin, but where we come from looks to me like its already in the grave."

"That doesn't matter!" Colin protested. "James, if we came from there, then that means there are others, too. We can't just let them all suffer to save Equestria. We need to find a way to save both."

"Colin, there is no way. In order to save both, we'd either need to lure Ophidian here or take the fight back to his home field, and we're not winning that fight."

"There's gotta be a way," Colin insisted. "Maybe… maybe we could get Twilight to—"

"No," James denied. "I will never go looking for their help. Besides, it's too dangerous."

Colin sat back dejectedly. He knew then and there that he wasn't going to convince James to seek help. "Well, then… then we need to figure out his plan," he said.

"Plan?" James shook his head. "Ophidian's more chaotic than that lunatic franken-dragon Fluttershy helped turn around. His 'plans' are pretty ramshackle."

"He invaded Equestria with an army," Colin said. "Put you and Twilight and Celestia at each other's throats. That doesn't strike me as chaotic."

James sat, slouched and puzzled, before finally sitting up straight. "Alright. You're right, we need to figure out Ophidian's play. But for that, you'll need to be trained, first. I can't be expected to do all the work for your idea."

"Oh, so this is my idea?"

"You suggested it." James rolled his shoulders. "Alright, you'll need a pack and supplies of your own, and a journal, too, for notes. Plus, it'll help keep you sane to write down your thoughts someplace private."

"Got it."

James turned and looked Colin in the eyes. "If we do this," he told him finally, "if we are really, truly going to do this, Colin, then I figure you need to know what you're getting into."

Colin straightened alongside him. "Lay it on me."

"Rolling with me has a lot of dangers," James explained. "Believe me when I say, you'll need every skill I teach you. We'll be pursued, and not just by wooden wolves and monstrous beings. The kingdom of Equestria, its sovereign troops, will be hunting us at every turn, and there's no doubt that Twilight and Celestia will be on our trail too. You come with me, Colin, and you're diving into a perilous, uncomfortable and taxing life, and I cannot stress that fact enough. You come with me, Colin, and you're a wanted man. So I need you to tell me, with full certainty and honesty, right now while you still have a chance to go back to Twilight where you'd be safer, because if you accept, there's no turning back."

James extended his hand, and noticed the pain in his muscles had subsided.

"Are you with me, Colin?"

Colin looked down at the hand for a long time, contemplating his choice. Then he extended his hand in turn, and clasped it into James's with a firm shake.

"Yes."


	22. Chapter 21

_So. I guess this is my first journal entry._

 _I'm starting my training today. Now that James has gotten better, he seems more focused, and much more willing to tell me everything that's went on in his life here. I figure that this little 'boot-camp' he has in store for me will be a gruelling, intense matter, but for now James has decided to start slow; by teaching me about survival and what to look out for in the wilderness. He's telling me about the native monsters right now, and when he's done with that, so he says, our next subject will be identifying plants and using medicine._

 _I'm already feeling more comfortable around him._

* * *

"Alright," James said, tossing a small, ring-binder notebook onto Colin's lap from across the claustrophobically-small hut. He had decided they lie low in this particular safehouse for now, to throw the authorities off their scent. "This book contains drawings and descriptions of herbs that will come in handy later on. It has everything from poison ivy to the more fantastical plants found around these parts."

Colin flipped to a random page, upon which was a picture of a vibrant blue flower growing on a vine. "What's Poison Joke?" he asked in reference to the image.

James examined the page for a moment. "Ah, right. Poison Joke is one of the more magical herbs, grows around the Everfree. Its pollen and extract have adverse effects on anyone that comes into contact with it."

"Like what?"

"It varies, depending on the target. A strong flyer may find their wings grafted to their belly after the extract takes effect. A big, strong guy could shrink to the size of an ant, or a magic-user may find their abilities… impotent. Evidently, the plant seems to have a sick sense of humor, but aside from that, it's harmless."

"So what's it useful for?"

"Toxins," James explained. "It's non-lethal, but the effect it has on people tends to incapacitate them in some way, shape or form. Typically, I dip arrows in it and burn the shafts black to set them apart, but there are other ways to have people exposed to it. Like slipping it into someone's drink, for example. Word of advice, Colin; do _not_ get exposed to Poison Joke. The ingredients needed for the antidote are difficult to come by in the wild."

Colin smirked. "So what do you think would happen to me if I was affected by it?"

"Can't say for certain," James replied. "But I can tell you this; I've got thieves' hands, and the last time I got hit by the stuff, my palms were facing upward for three days."

The two shared a laugh, and continued with their studies.

* * *

 _Day 14_

 _The talk on flora and fauna is, as of a couple days ago, for the most part done. All that's really left is for me to commit the image of all the plants in this book James gave me to memory, which should be easy._

 _We've taken to going on short 'nature walks' as James calls them, wherein he teaches me how to move around properly, or what sounds identify which creature. He says that, when winter is over and spring comes, he'll teach me how to fish and locate fresh water._

 _The snow is falling more often, and the ground is becoming heavier with it. In our downtime, when it gets too much for us to go out, we pass the time by playing games, just simple card or dice games where the players gamble with pennies. Sometimes he tells me about his travels, or teaches me about where the railways go and the best times to catch a train. I've asked him if he's going to teach me how to fight or hunt; he responded by telling me all in good time, as 'sometimes you have to walk before you can run'._

* * *

Colin sidestepped as the blunt staff thrust past, planting in the snow only for a split second before jerking back.

"You've got two arms, Colin," James said as he circled the boy, staff in hand. "Use them."

The next attack came, and Colin responded by bringing his own weapon – a two-foot baton meant to mimic a sword – up to bat the weapon away. The two had found a clear patch of dirt in the forest; Colin hesitated to call it a clearing, as it was still claustrophobically small, but it was enough to act as a sort of dueling ground so James could teach him how to fight.

"Typically," James explained as he and Colin sparred, "your opponent will wield some kind of polearm – generally this will come in the form of a spear or javelin, but I've observed halberds, glaives, partisans, even a trident, once. Pegasi make up the bulk of the Equestrian Royal Army, and they're not all that good at using anything but a polearm."

Colin blocked another thrust, but James shifted his 'spear' so as to rotate Colin's arms and send the tip of his weapon into the snow. James then leaned into another thrust, planting a soft blow on Colin's chest.

"Try not to favour a specific guard," he mentioned.

The two positioned themselves at either side of the clearing and readied themselves again.

"And what about the other pony types?" Colin asked.

"Well," James continued as the sparring began again, "Earth ponies are more or less similar, but they'll rely on their brute strength, much like pegasi rely on their wings. As for unicorns, well, they're the wild cards. Generally, a unicorn's magical abilities are tied to their talent; a unicorn seamstress _can_ do other things, but the thing they do _best_ is weave. However, the ones that are, say, soldiers would naturally be best at fighting, and so know how to use combat spells best. They're arguably the deadliest the army has to offer, being able to fight at range, bring up neigh-impregnable forcefields and use any weapon they so desire thanks to their telekinetic abilities."

Colin saw an opportunity – or at least, he hoped it was an opportunity – and raised his staff in an overhead swing. When James moved his own staff to parry, Colin barged forward with all of his might, shouldering his opponent and sending the both of them into the snow. The two crunched around, slipping and falling more than once as they tried to regain their footing, but soon the activity slowed down and the two were facing one another once more.

"Very good," James said. "Now try and knock me down again."

Colin readied himself, brandishing the baton in his right hand.

"No," James grinned. "This time, in your off-hand."

"What?" Colin exclaimed. "That isn't fair!"

The grin on James's face turned into a cruel smile. "Who ever said it was going to be fair?"

And the training continued.

* * *

 _Day 28_

 _We're in the dead of winter, now; James says it will be like this for the next two months. Naturally, the next thing we're going to practice is hunting; I've been told I'll have to polish up on my fighting skills, but that it can wait until the weather starts to get warmer. We started off today by James teaching me the basics of how to use a bow, and he informed me we'll have to share for now until he can make another._

 _I'm nervous. Sure, it's been fun training with James – almost like being in the military or the scouts – and it gets harder for me to keep up every day, but that's something I was expecting. I guess I was expecting this, too, but I've never really – never been comfortable with… I don't like taking a living thing's life._

 _I asked James this morning if he's affected by it. He tells me that it's a natural part of life that some things must die so that others may live; animals kill each other all the time for food, or in defense of their lives, and we aren't any different. The sort of 'circle-of-life' mantra that is integral to survival. I get curious after a while, and then out comes that question – one I've been subconsciously wanting to ask for quite some time._

' _Have you ever killed anyone? Equestrians, I mean?'_

 _I expect him to be silent, like when I asked him about Tall Tale. Instead, he gives me an answer that almost makes me regret asking in the first place._

' _I have. And I'll own up to it for the rest of my life. But I'll tell you this, Colin; if ever there comes a time where an assailant is trying to kill you – to utterly, intentionally_ take your life – _don't ever hesitate, and do not hold back, because they won't give you any chances_.'

 _He gives no further explanation, instead leaving me to wonder._

* * *

The winter marched on. Before long, the days began to grow shorter, and with each passing week the snow piled on until there was no green left on the tress or ground, and the wind became chill as death. This, of course, took new and relevant meaning in Colin's mind as he and James trained onwards throughout the season.

Colin lost count of how many times he had a brush with his own mortality. As the weeks progressed, James had continued to challenge him in new ways, steadily progressing how dangerous their lessons became. Some days, James would have Colin race him across plains of waist-deep snow or over the boulder-strewn, uneven ground of the forests, or stalk deer or other animals for hours in the cold, tracking them through the terrain, sometimes even their scent. Other times their practices were downright deadly; scaling cliffs slick with ice using rudimentary tools, sparring on log-bridges over rushing, freezing waters, or intentionally going after Timberwolf packs to fight them hand-to-hand. James made quite sure Colin was in as little danger as possible at first, but as time went on and the two honed their skills further, he started to hold Colin's hand less and less. Colin found himself getting hurt where he once had James watching his back, and James would heal him with stitches and bandages, rubbing alcohol and medicine herbs. Soon, even this practice started to dwindle, as Colin was expected to heal himself the more he learned how to do so.

Colin resented the absence of James sometimes, as he would find himself getting hurt pretty bad on occasion. But every time he pulled through, it became more apparent that he was growing stronger. It also became apparent that, despite his seemingly cold demeanor, James really did care about his wellbeing. One night, as the two were stalking a buck during their slow, meandering course further north towards the harsh borders of the Frozen North, a mountain lion attacked Colin when he least expected it. James was there almost immediately, and soon the two were fending the creature off, together, with Colin feeling much more useful than that fight with the Timberwolf which seemed so long ago. And so, soon enough, Colin stopped worrying about his safety, confident in his training and James's companionship, and continued to learn from him…

* * *

…And while Colin trained, Twilight searched.

In all honesty, Twilight would be surprised if she and her party hadn't trekked from one end of Equestria to the other looking for that criminal James and the wayward Colin. Despite the encroaching winter, she had refused to give up, and her friends – bless their understanding and loyalty – had stuck with her through it all. Following the roads and railways at first, the Element Bearers would spread out into two-mare teams, trying to find some sign of them to follow. They had picked the worst season to do so; the snow and high winds of winter made it impossible to track through the wilds. Rainbow Dash and sometimes even Fluttershy would take to the skies when the weather was clear, but it was like trying to find a marble on a pebble beach. Still, Twilight wasn't about to quit, not anytime soon, at least. But, as the dead middle of winter approached, Twilight would look upon her friends when they were catching their breath and realize the weariness that was taking their toll on them. They did their best to hide it, of course, to show that they would give in just as soon as Twilight would, but it was evident that they were getting nowhere, and Twilight wasn't about to sacrifice her friend's comfort and their holidays just to look for Colin, even if it meant leaving him with James.

Not twice. Not again.

And so, feeling defeated at not finding Colin and guilty for running her friends ragged, Twilight eventually decided that she would stop looking, at least until spring came. None of the others tried to dissuade her, which was knowledge enough of how tired they were. The group surveyed a map and, finding themselves closer to the Crystal Empire than Canterlot or Ponyville, decided to go there, knowing that Princess Cadence would welcome them. Twilight felt a swell of glee at this; they would arrive just in time to celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve, and an opportunity to visit her brother and babysitter-turned-sister-in-law was always a welcome one.

As the six approached the castle there, however, it became obvious that the situation was not as well as it seemed, with guards in the familiar gold-and-blue Canterlot garb patrolling around being a much more common sight than before. Something had happened, and whatever it was, the mere presence of the soldiers made it clear that it wasn't anything good.

As expected, however, Twilight and company were given a warm, albeit unexpected, welcome by Cadance and Shining Armour once they arrived at the palace proper. The day, from there, was the most fun that the six Element Bearers had had all winter; they wandered around the city as its people celebrated the anniversary of Equestria's founding, and how far they had come from the warring, bickering tribes that struggled for food and survival under the looming threat of the hate-eating Windigos. It was, perhaps, the event that laid the foundation of Equestria's entire philosophy; Friendship is Magic.

The afternoon saw the performance of the tale, the re-enactment of that day. Twilight, and no doubt the others as well, reminisced about the time they performed the play themselves. It was nice to be together in that endeavor; Spike, with his narration and constant asides, nearly caused her to break character with how over-the-top it was, and seeing Fluttershy come out of her shell and fight her stage fright to play a part made Twilight happy. Even the slight argument after the play was over – something Twilight had forgotten the details about – was laughed off, in the end. Twilight couldn't help but think that the Crystal Empire's version was lacking, but she also knew it was because of her personal connection to that day, not the performance itself.

After the play, the group headed back inside as the festival came to its end. After accommodations were made for the Six – Cadence reassured them that the palace was more than big enough – they all sat down to have dinner. It was as lovely as anypony would expect; Pinkie would crack jokes and break out into song, Dash and Applejack would swap kind-hearted teasing, Cadence and Shining had a chance to catch up with Twilight. The presence of the guards was never brought up, but then again, Twilight didn't want it brought up, instead delighting in being able to forget her duties and her stress over Colin. For one day she wasn't the big Alicorn Princess of Magic, but the simple Unicorn student hanging out with her friends. And nothing – not the guards, not her concerns, and most certainly not James Alistair – was going to ruin that.

All the same, when everything was said and done, after night had fallen and the girls had busied themselves with a board game, Twilight noticed Shining standing off to the side of their room by the window, and decided to approach him while the others cycled their turns.

"Something wrong, big brother?" she asked, grinning pleasantly at him.

Shining took his eyes off the window and made a half-hearted smile back. "Nothing that you need to worry about," he replied.

Twilight peered out the window to the street below, where two guards were making their rounds.

"It's him, isn't it?" she asked. "He's out there somewhere, and that's why the Canterlot guards are here."

Shining glanced back to check if anyone heard them, but the others were preoccupied with the game. "We aren't exactly sure," he said in a hushed tone. "But if I had to wager on it…"

"Why would he come here? The only time he showed up around these parts was last winter."

"He must be looking for one of those metal shards," Shining guessed.

"You mean…" Twilight froze up. "The one that you've got here? That shard?"

"No," Shining replied, which did nothing to put Twilight at ease. "That's what's bugging me. There was an attack up in Yakyakistan – way up in the mountains. A mining operation, nothing important taken. It happened about a month ago, but Cadence was concerned, so she requisitioned some reinforcements until spring comes again."

Twilight paused. "Hang on. When did this happen?"

Shining looked out into the blowing snow, oblivious to his sister's epiphany. "About a month ago." He turned to her then, and smiled. "But it's nothing worth losing sleep over."

Their conversation was interrupted by Rainbow Dash's voice.

"Hey, Twilight! It's your turn! Make us wait any longer and it'll be morning by the time you go!"

"Just keeping her for a moment, Rainbow, hope you don't mind!" Shining hollered back. He turned to Twilight. "Look, Twi, I have a guess or two of my own as to why you're here. You don't need to worry about us; believe me, Cadence and I are doing just fine. But by all means, you and your friends can stay here as long as you need to; we have no problems with that." He gestured with his head in the direction of the others. "You have some good friends, by the way. Did I ever tell you that?"

"Probably loads of times," Twilight beamed.

"Good. And sis?"

"Yeah?"

Shining grinned. "It's nice to see you well. Especially now."

The both of them left the window behind, and shortly after the game was over the group had gone to bed. Yet Twilight was up for quite some time afterward, her worry replaced with pondering. Something didn't add up. Shining had said the attack was a month ago; but, Colin had also been abducted that same time. James could do a great many things, a lot of it cruel and death-defying. But he couldn't be in two places at once.

Twilight decided then and there it was time to pay a visit to Celestia.

* * *

Colin sat by the fire in the cave, letting its warmth bathe him as the wind howled outside. He and James had steadily made their way north, towards the Crystal Mountains, and now their shelter was much simpler. Luckily, he had better clothes now, warmer ones. James had taken back his cloak, in exchange for Colin wearing a thick wool cap.

The cave was filled with a steady rhythm, as James sharpened a crude, metal knife against a stone from the ground.

 _Sskrrt. Sskrrt._

The wind howled.

"Whoo," Colin broke the silence. "Wind sure sounds bad out there," he muttered.

"You sure it's the wind?" James asked.

 _Sskrrt. Sskrrt._

"What do you mean by that?" Colin asked.

The light of the fire reflected darkly off of James's face and casted long, shifting shadows. "Could be the Windigoes."

The very name made Colin shudder. "Who… _what_ are the Windigoes?"

"The Equestrians call this day Hearth's Warming Eve. According to their mythology, the Windigoes turned their original homeland into a barren, frozen wasteland. Drove them to hatred. Made them fight."

 _Sskrrt. Sskrrt._

James grinned. "Damn near wiped 'em all out."

"What happened to them?" Colin questioned, eyeing the knife now.

James shrugged. "Tradition says they were all destroyed, by magic, friendship, whatever hippy-dippy peace n' love crud helps the kiddies sleep at night. Though some still persist that a few of 'em escaped. So whenever you hear a whinnying on the wind, a howling in the darkness… just hope it ain't the Windigoes, come to freeze you solid and take you to the other side."

 _Sskrrt. Sskrrt._

"Wouldn't worry though," James continued. "You've got the one thing that might just be meaner even than them."

Colin couldn't take his eyes off that knife. "What's that?"

The way James had smiled at Colin on the night the Timberwolf attacked them, Colin thought was his creepiest smile. He was so, so wrong. In the firelight, James's ear-to-ear smile made him look like the demon Colin had first envisioned him to be. In that light, sharpening that blade, the _Sskrrt-Sskrrt_ of the edge passing over the stone, the wicked, almost psychotic gleam in his eyes. It was no wonder now why the Equestrians were so afraid of him.

"Me," he answered.

 _Sskrrt. Sskrrt. THUNK._

The knife bit deep into an outlying piece of firewood. James leaned back against a rock, folding his arms behind his back. "'Course, there's also you as well. See, the Equestrians value friendship and tolerance above all things, but us?"

He chuckled darkly.

"Ain't nobody _hates_ like a _human_ can."

Colin sat uncomfortably. For the first time, he began to regret his decision to come along with him.

"Well, I think I'm done scaring you for tonight," James said. Colin almost jumped; all of a sudden, the ominous tone in James's voice had changed to how he normally spoke. It was jarring; like flipping a switch. "Get some sleep, pal, and try to do it with both eyes closed; rest assured, you don't have to worry about me. Tomorrow is another day, and who knows, you might just need that rest."

With that, the conversation ended, and Colin rolled over to take the first rest.

And the cave was silent, but for the crackling of the fire and the howling of the wind.


End file.
